During its first year at Mars, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) observed the red planet over the course of nearly 410 orbits between mid-September 1997 and mid-September 1998. The MOC was turned off during the Aerobrake Phase 2 orbits that began in mid-September 1998, and is expected to remain off until March 1999. The following 10 pictures represent the best images and important results obtained during the first year of MOC operations. Seven major themes are explored by these pictures: (1) liquid water in the martian past, (2) the discovery of extensive layered rock, (3) the observation of boulder-strewn surfaces in the highest resolution images, (4) volcanism and newly-observed volcanic features, (5) the martian fretted terrain, (6) the polar layered deposits, and (7) the work of wind on the martian surface. Enjoy!
 Sustained Flow MOC2-73 |
 Seepage and Ponding MOC2-74 |
 Valley Networks MOC2-75 |
 Layered Crust MOC2-76 |
 Boulders MOC2-77 |
 Fluid Volcanism MOC2-78 |
 Olympus Mons MOC2-79 |
 Fretted Terrain MOC2-80 |
 Polar Deposits MOC2-81 |
 Wind Activity MOC2-82 |
Aerobrake Phase 1: 15 SEP 97 to 18 FEB 98
Science Phase 1: 28 MAR 98 to 28 APR 98
Science Phase 2: 01 JUN 98 to 13 SEP 98
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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.
Contact: info@msss.com
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