Mars Global Surveyor Snaps Photo of Mars on Earth’s New Year’s Day

[03 Jan 2000] According to Malin Space Science Systems: “As many people on Earth celebrated the dawn of a new year, a new century, and a new millennium, the Mars Global
Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) continued its journey that began with a proposal to NASA nearly 15 years earlier in 1985. As the clock rolled over to 2000 A.D., MOC was busily snapping its daily global weather maps and a variety of higher-resolution images.”

“This high resolution view shows a wide variety of surface textures caused mainly by unknown, possibly uniquely “martian” geologic processes. The view also includes small, bright, windblown drifts. The high resolution view covers an area 3 km across at a resolution of 4.5 meters (15 feet) per pixel. The sun illuminates both scenes from the lower left.”

° Press release and image, Malin Space Science Systems.