Status Report

Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Ridges swimming in a sea of dust

By SpaceRef Editor
January 16, 2003
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Medium image for 20030116a


Image Context:
Context image for 20030116a
Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team
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The muted terrain of northern Acidalia Planitia testifies to the fact that the region is heavily mantled with dust. The most interesting features in this image are
the small terraces located along the flanks of the ridges and the patterned ground seen at the base of the largest ridge (upper right). These features appear to be
classic examples of periglacial landforms and may indicate the presence of shallow subsurface ice.


[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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ParameterValue ParameterValue
Latitude54.9 &nbsp InstrumentVIS
Longitude351E (9W) &nbsp Resolution (m)19
Image Size (pixels)2989×1137 &nbsp Image Size (km)56.8×21.6

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