Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Memnonia Sulci

Image Context:


Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team
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The wind-sculpted yardangs in this scene are part of the Medusae Fossae
Formation, a regionally extensive geologic unit that probably was produced from
the
accumulation of volcanic ash. The yardangs occur at multiple scales and
orientations, perhaps an indication of variations in wind direction and
magnitude that could be the result of climate change.

[Source: ASU THEMIS Science Team]

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA’s Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University