NASA MRO HiRISE Images – April 30, 2014

– Yardangs Forming Near Gordii Dorsum http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_035558_1830

The purpose of this observation is to determine how these formations, called “yardangs” are forming within a layer of bedrock.

– The Active Dunes of Nili Patera http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_035603_1890

By monitoring the sand dune changes, we can determine how winds vary seasonally and year-to-year.

– Changing Dunes and Ripples in Olympia Undae http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_036099_2615

Because of the high latitude of the dunes, they are covered with water and carbon dioxide frost in the winter and are poorly illuminated.

– Sunken and Pitted Ejecta http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_036182_2230

The ejecta visible in this image seems to be lower than the surrounding surface, which is unusual since ejecta is laid down on top of existing ground.

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.