Status Report

NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Martian Clouds

By SpaceRef Editor

June 28, 2004

Filed under Daily Themis Pictures, Mars, Mars Odyssey THEMIS, US

Image Context:

Context image for 20040628a

Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team
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Parameter	Value		Parameter	Value
Latitude	68.1	&nbsp	Instrument	VIS
Longitude	147.9E (212.1W)	&nbsp	Resolution (m)	38
Image Size (pixels)	6679×636	&nbsp	Image Size (km)	253.8×24.2

The atmosphere of Mars is a dynamic system. Water-ice clouds, fog,
and hazes can make imaging the surface from space difficult. Dust
storms can grow from local disturbances to global sizes, through
which imaging is impossible. Seasonal temperature changes are the
usual drivers in cloud and dust storm development and growth.

Eons of atmospheric dust storm activity has left its mark on the
surface of Mars. Dust carried aloft by the wind has settled
out on every available surface; sand dunes have been created and
moved by centuries of wind; and the effect of continual sand-blasting
has modified many regions of Mars, creating yardangs and other
unusual surface forms.

This image was acquired during early spring near the
North Pole. The linear “ripples” are transparent water-ice
clouds. This linear form is typical for polar clouds. The
black regions on the margins of this image are areas of
saturation caused by the build up of scattered light from
the bright polar material during the long image exposure.

[Source: ASU THEMIS Science Team]

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

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

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