NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Opportunity’s Clouds

Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-723, 11 May 2004

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

This composite of 7.5 km (4.7 mi) per pixel daily global
images, acquired by the
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC),
shows water ice clouds over and to the east (right)
of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER-B), Opportunity, landing
site in Meridiani Planum. The “+” indicates the location of
the rover site. Clouds high in the atmosphere
above the Opportunity site have been a common occurrence
in the afternoon for the past several weeks. This picture
was obtained on 1 May 2004. The scale bar, 120 km (~75 mi),
is approximate. North is
toward the top/upper right. The bright area to the
west (left) of the landing site is sunlight glinting
off particles in the atmosphere and on the ground.
The sun illuminates the scene from the left.

This and other images of both MER landing sites are
featured each week in the MGS weather reports, located
online at: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/mer_weather/.

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.