PIA04476: Utopia Cracks and Polygons
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a pattern of polygonal cracks and aligned, elliptical pits in western Utopia Planitia on Mars.
 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:  540 x 810 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA04476.tif (438.1 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA04476.jpg (99.11 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-339, 23 April 2003

This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a pattern of polygonal cracks and aligned, elliptical pits in western Utopia Planitia. The picture covers an area about 3 km (about 1.9 mi) wide near 44.9°N, 274.7°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2003-04-24