NASA Mars Picture of the Day: North Polar Dunes 04-14-2004

Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-696, 14 April 2004

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

The north polar cap of Mars is nearly surrounded by fields
of dark sand dunes.
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
image shows some of the north polar dunes as they appeared
in late winter in January 2004. At the time, the dunes were
covered with frost.
The image is located
near 77.8°N, 52.8°W.
The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across.
Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower 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.