This image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows evidence for ancient fluid flow
along fractures in Mars' Meridiani Planum region.
The scene includes pervasive signs of ancient fluid flow in the form of
bleached and cemented features, called halos, along fractures within the
layered deposits of Meridiani. This site is approximately 375 kilometers
(233 miles) northeast of "Victoria Crater."
The view is a portion of image PSP_002324_1815 in the camera's catalog.
The image scale is 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) per pixel. Illumination is
from the upper left. Smaller portions of the scene [Figure 1 and Figure 2]
are pulled out to highlight examples of the halos. The high-resolution
camera acquired this image on Jan. 24, 2007.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute
of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for
NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space
Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the
spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by
the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball
Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo.
