NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE Images – March 20, 2013

– Martian Honeycomb Hideout http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_024061_2610

The most striking aspect of this image is the honeycomb-like pattern of the dunes.

– Defrosting of Dunes with Large Gullies http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_024103_2565

The gullies at this site are particularly large, which is intriguing, suggesting that this site be monitored to see if stages of gully formation or details of activity can be observed.

– A Sinuous Ridge South of Moreux Crater http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_024224_2190

This observation shows a sinuous ridge that may be an inverted stream. Streams can be inverted if they are made of stronger material than their surroundings.

– Looking for Changes in Colorful Aureum Chaos http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_030675_1765

Although Mars has a thin atmosphere, the wind is nevertheless strong enough to move some sand dunes and ripples, collectively termed “bedforms.”

All of the HiRISE images are archived here:

http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/

Information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is online at http://www.nasa.gov/mro. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of Denver, is the prime contractor and built the spacecraft. HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., of Boulder, Colo., built the HiRISE instrument.