PIA04746: Boulders on Phobos
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
 Spacecraft:  Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
 Instrument:  Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
 Product Size:  843 x 1265 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA04746.tif (976.1 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA04746.jpg (108.9 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-485, 16 September 2003

In 1998, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft made four passes by the innermost of the two martian satellites, Phobos. The fourth pass, made just over 5 years ago on 12 September 1998, offered the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) the opportunity to acquire the highest resolution images of the moon, ever. This wonderful 5-year-old picture highlights the surface of Phobos. Several large boulders can be seen, including a very large one near the center that is about 85 meters (~280 feet) in diameter. Most of the boulders may have been ejected from the largest impact crater on Phobos, Stickney. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/lower left.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2003-09-17