Mars Picture of the Day: Apollinaris Patera Surfaces

Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-378, 1 June 2003

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image
shows rugged, wind-eroded material that once used to completely
cover the upper flanks of the martian volcano, Apollinaris Patera.
This material; perhaps ancient volcanic ash or more recent, cemented
dust, has been partially removed by wind erosion, revealing a
smoother surface beneath. This view is located near the summit
of the volcano, around 9.3°S, 186.1°W.
Sunlight illuminates the scene from the
upper left.

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.