Status Report

NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: North Polar False Color

By SpaceRef Editor
January 17, 2005
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Medium image for 20050117a

Image Context:

Context image for 20050117a
Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team
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ParameterValue ParameterValue
Latitude85 &nbsp InstrumentVIS
Longitude235.8E (124.2W) &nbsp Resolution (m)19
Image Size (pixels)423×1173 &nbsp Image Size (km)8×22.3



The theme for the weeks of 1/17 and 1/24 is the north polar region

of Mars as seen in false color THEMIS images. Ice/frost will typically

appear as bright blue in color; dust mantled ice will appear in

tones of red/orange.

This full resolution image contains dunes, and small areas

of “blue” which may represent fresh (ie. not dust covered)

frost or 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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