Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera

The Olympica Fossae of Northern Tharsis

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-156, 19 July 1999

The Olympica Fossae are a complex array of deep troughs, channels and streamlined landforms located in northern Tharsis. Water, mud, lava, and wind are all thought to have played roles in the formation of these features. This Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera image, obtained in March 1999, shows streamlined islands toward the top and middle of the frame and a steep cliff with layered rock outcrops in the lower portion of the image. For a different view of the Olympica Fossae, see "Martian Variety Exhibited by the Olympica Fossae, MOC2-108, 6 April 1999."

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, CA. 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, CA and Denver, CO.

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