This view shows a full-resolution portion of the first image of Mars taken
by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera (HiRISE) on
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The spacecraft, launched Aug. 12,
2005, began orbiting Mars on March 10, 2006. The image is of an area in
Mars' mid-latitude southern highlands.
HiRISE took this first test image from orbit on March 24, 2006, from an
altitude of 2,489 kilometers (1,547 miles), achieving a resolution of 2.49
meters (98 inches) per pixel, or picture element. The smallest objects of
discernable shape are about three pixels across. An image acquired at this
latitude during the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's main science phase,
beginning in fall 2006, would be taken from an altitude of about 280
kilometers (174 miles) and have a resolution of 28 centimeters (11 inches)
per pixel.
This view covers an area about 4.5 by 2.1 kilometers (1.6 by 1.3 miles),
a subset of the broader image (see PIA08014).
The quality of this test image is spectacular, with no hint to the eye of
any smear or blurring. A high signal-to-noise ratio reveals fine details
even in the shadows.
