NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE Images August 31, 2011

o Flow Structures in Noctis Region Trough http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_020313_1720

The tectonic forces that opened this canyon also disrupted the crust in this location and led to the formation of many isolated blocks of rock with intervening valleys.

o Enigmatic Mound on the Crater Floor on Margaritifer Terra http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_023264_1680

The origin of this mound on a crater floor was not clear from prior image coverage, so we targeted HiRISE to take a closer look.

o The Gemstone Floor of Noctis Labyrinthus http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_023359_1710

The smooth light-toned deposits on the floor of Noctis Labyrinthus may contain a form of hydrated silica, perhaps opal, which is a gemstone.

o Striking Impact http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_023482_2010

Newly-formed impact craters on Mars are found and dated by comparing images before and after the impact and looking for changes.

All of the HiRISE images are archived here: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/

Information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is online at http://www.nasa.gov/mro. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of Denver, is the prime contractor and built the spacecraft. HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., of Boulder, Colo., built the HiRISE instrument.