Status Report

Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Buried Crater

By SpaceRef Editor

August 27, 2002

Filed under Daily Themis Pictures, Mars Odyssey THEMIS, US

Image Context:

Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team

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With a location roughly equidistant between two of the largest volcanic
constructs on the planet, the fate of the ~50 km impact crater in this
image was sealed. It has been buried to the rim by lava flows. The
MOLA context image shows pronounced flow lobes surrounding the crater, a
clear indication of the most recent episode of volcanism that could have
contributed to its infilling. Breaches in the rim are clearly evident
in the image and suggest locations through which lavas could have
flowed. These openings appear to be limited to the west side of the
crater. Other craters in the area are nearly obliterated by the
voluminous lava flows, further demonstrating one of the means by which
Mars renews its surface.

[Questions? Email images@themis.asu.edu]

[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