CAPTION:
Perspective view of the preliminary locations of the Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 Microprobes. The Polar Lander site, marked by a cross near the center of this Viking Orbiter image mosaic, is situated near the mouth of a shallow valley. Regional surface slopes are less than 2 degrees from horizontal. The Microprobes are thought to have reached the surface along a line which crosses through an impact crater 25 kilometers in diameter. Surface slopes within the crater are less than 5 degress while the crater walls have steeper slopes. True surface slopes are much less steep than they appear because the relative heights of surface features have been exaggerated by a factor of 30.

This three-dimension view of the surface was created using topographic data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and rendered by the NASA Ames Research Center Virtual Reality Team. Grid lines are marked every 2 degrees latitude and at longitudes 192, 196, and 200W. South is toward the top of the image.