NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Cliff in Terby Crater
Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter CameraM
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-436, 29 July 2003
![]() NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
Terby Crater was once filled with layered, sedimentary rock. Over
time, these materials have been eroded to form a dazzling array
of cliffs and layered outcrops. This
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture
shows a layered cliff facing toward the northwest (toward
upper left). Dark debris has slid down the west-facing slopes of
the cliff. A visitor to Terby Crater would be greeted by vistas
reminiscent of some of the national parks in the southwestern
United States. This March 2003 picture is located near
27.7°S, 285.5°W; it is illuminated by sunlight
from the upper left. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across.
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.