PIA04137: Defrosting Patterns
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows bright (and a few dark) wind streaks formed in the defrosting carbon dioxide of Mars' south polar seasonal frost cap.
 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:  672 x 1341 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1177  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA04137.tif (902.3 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA04137.jpg (160 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

8 August 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows bright (and a few dark) wind streaks formed in the defrosting carbon dioxide of the south polar seasonal frost cap. Unknown is whether the streaks form when wind picks up, moves, and deposits ice particles, or whether wind erodes down into the ice to form the streak pattern.

Location near: 86.7°S, 295.5°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Spring

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2005-08-08