NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Valley near Cydonia

Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-967, 10 January 2005

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
image shows an ancient valley in far northwestern Arabia
Terra, near the Cydonia region. Large, windblown ripples
occur on the valley floor. This valley is located
near 33.2°N, 10.1°W.
The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across,
and is illuminated by sunlight from the left/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.