NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Frosty Dune Field

Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-713, 1 May 2004

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
image shows frost-covered sand dunes in the early northern spring
of 2004 in the north polar region. Sunlight illuminates the dunes
from the bottom/lower left, but frost on slopes facing the lower right
create the illusion of sunlight from that direction. This
dune field, which would appear quite dark in summertime,
is located
near 80.3°N, 148.7°W.
The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across.

Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology
built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission.
MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, California.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Mars Surveyor Operations Project
operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial
partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena,
California and Denver, Colorado.