NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Autumn Dust Storm
Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-903, 7 November 2004
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
image shows a ~3.7 m/pixel (~12 ft/pixel) view of a portion
of a small dust storm that occurred during early southern autumn
in April 2004. The image is located on the floor of a crater
near 57.8°S, 271.0°W.
The image covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across
and is illuminated by sunlight 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.