PIA03649: Polar Features
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a frost-covered surface in Mars' south polar region. The substrate beneath the frost is cracked, and seasonal frost surrounding each crack has begun to sublime away.
 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:  2048 x 2928 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1314  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA03649.tif (6.003 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA03649.jpg (1.596 MB)  

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:

17 December 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a frost-covered surface in the south polar region. The substrate beneath the frost is cracked, and seasonal frost surrounding each crack has begun to sublime away, creating a distinct pattern of dark streaks in this September 2005 scene.

Location near: 85.3°S, 288.4°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Summer

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2005-12-17