PIA23661: Hephaestus Fossae
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  2001 Mars Odyssey
 Spacecraft:  2001 Mars Odyssey
 Instrument:  THEMIS
 Product Size:  1397 x 2641 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Arizona State University
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA23661.tif (2.407 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA23661.jpg (283.6 kB)

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Original Caption Released with Image:

Context image for PIA23661
Context image

This VIS image is located in the central portion of Hephaestus Fossae. Hephaestus Fossae is a complex channel system in Utopia Planitia near Elysium Mons. It has been proposed that the channel formed by the release of melted subsurface ice during the impact event that created a large crater south of this image. Additionally, the nearby Elysium volcanic center created subsurface heating that may have played a part in creating both Hephaestus Fossae and Hebrus Valles to the north. Since many of the channels have right angle intersections, tectonic forces may also have played a part in the formation of this system. In fact, the entire feature is called a 'fossae' rather than a 'vallis', recognizing the dual forces of tectonic stresses and fluid flow. The entire system is approximately 605km long (375 miles).

Orbit Number: 79446 Latitude: 19.3029 Longitude: 124.484 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-11-11 21:45

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Image Addition Date:
2020-02-03