PIA03235: Radargram of Mars' North Polar Layered Deposits with Topographic Map
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Express (MEX)
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
 Spacecraft:  Mars Express (MEX)
Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
 Instrument:  MARSIS
Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter 
 Product Size:  979 x 666 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  European Space Agency (ESA)
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA03235.tif (1.959 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA03235.jpg (95.14 kB)

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Original Caption Released with Image:

The upper image is a radargram from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS), showing data from the subsurface of Mars in the layered deposits that surround the north pole. The lower image shows the position of the ground track on a topographic map of the area based on Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data. The images are 458 kilometers (285 miles) wide.

The MARSIS echo trace splits into two traces to the right of center, at the point where the ground track crosses from the smooth plains onto the elevated layered deposits on the right. The upper trace is the echo from the surface of the deposits, while the lower trace is interpreted to be the boundary between the lower surface of the deposits and the underlying material. The strength of the lower echo suggests that the intervening material is nearly pure water ice. The time delay between the two echoes reaches a maximum of 21 microseconds at the right of the image, corresponding to a thickness of 1.8 kilometer (1.1 mile) of ice. The total elevation difference shown in the topographic map is about 2 kilometers (1.2 mile) between the lowest surface (magenta) and the highest (orange).

MARSIS is an instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. NASA and the Italian Space Agency jointly funded the instrument. The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter is an instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.

Image Credit:
ASI/NASA/ESA/JPL/Univ. of Rome/MOLA Science Team

Image Addition Date:
2005-11-30