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PIA06944: Hellas Planitia
 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:  1024 x 1536 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems
 Producer ID:  MOC2-883
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA06944.tif (1.575 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA06944.jpg (453.8 kB)

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:

18 October 2004
The best time of year to obtain images of the floor of the vast Hellas Planitia impact basin occurs in mid to late southern autumn. At that time of year, the atmosphere over this deep basin is clear and the solar illumination conditions are ideal. Hellas was in this ideal period during July-September 2004. This August 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the eroded floor of a portion of the basin. Hellas has some of the lowest elevations on the planet. This image is located near 39.3°S, 302.8°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2004-10-18