MGS/MOC MOI-22
Approach Image 8

Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Release:                   MOC2-9
Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Image ID:            556624166.81


Click on image for full resolution version (51 KBytes)

Image acquired 8/21/1997 09:49:24 UTC
Camera Aim Point = 23.6°N, 127.2°W
Range = 5.38 Mkm

This image, the last in sequence of 8 taken by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft prior to its arrival at Mars on September 11, 1997, shows a spectacular view of the large volcano, Olympus Mons, very close to the morning sunrise line (called the terminator). Taken early in the morning of August 21, the view clearly shows the summit crater (the caldera) and the 3,000 m (9,800 feet) high escarpment that surrounds the base of the 25,000 meter (82,000 feet) high, 550 km (340 mile) wide volcano. To the right of Olympus Mons are three other large volcanoes (Ascraeus Mons, top; Pavonis Mons, middle; Arsia Mons, bottom). The image is centered near 23.6° N, 127.2° W, and was acquired when MGS was 5.38 million kilometers (3.34 million miles) from Mars. At this distance, the MOC's resolution is about 20 km per picture element, and the 6800 km (4200 mile) diameter planet is about 340 pixels across. In the 46 hours between the first and last images in the sequence, the diameter of Mars in the pictures grew by almost 10%.

Note: This MOC image is made available in order to share with the public the excitement of new discoveries being made via the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. The image may be reproduced only if the image is credited to "Malin Space Science Systems/NASA". Release of this image does not constitute a release of scientific data. The image and its caption should not be referenced in the scientific literature. Full data releases to the scientific community are scheduled by the Mars Global Surveyor Project and NASA Planetary Data System. Typically, data will be released after a 6 month calibration and validation period.

Click Here for more information on MGS data release and archiving plans.

To MOI-22 Image Index

To MGS Page

To Mars Page

Return to MSSS Home Page

Contact: info@msss.com