NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Sabaeus Dust Devil

Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-546, 16 November 2003

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
picture shows an active dust devil in Sinus Sabaeus, southeast
of Schiaparelli Basin. Sunlight illuminates the scene
from the upper left (northwest). The dust devil is best recognized
by the dark, columnar shadow it casts toward the lower right (southeast).
This image is located near
5.4°S, 340.0°W. The area shown is about 3 km
(1.9 mi) wide.

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.