Martian Dunes
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The HiRISE camera the MRO looks a dunes on Mars. Click for a larger version. Image credit: Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
I was rather taken by this image from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The caption below explains it rather well, if you want to see a larger version click the image. Then to see the “bigger” picture, which I think is kind of like some modern art piece click here (hot links to the MRO site).
Here’s the MRO caption by Nathan Bridges & Kelly Kolb:
Dunes within a crater on Mars are visible in this HiRISE image. This crater is located in the southern hemisphere where it was winter at the time this image was taken.
This observation documents new seasonal processes occurring on dunes at this latitude, as well as other interesting phenomena. The bright tones are interpreted as carbon dioxide or water frost. This is generally concentrated on the east-facing slopes of the dunes, which are in shadow and therefore cooler. Some dark spots on the dunes may be areas that have defrosted more than surrounding terrain.
Landslides and dark-toned streaks are seen on many of the west-facing dune slopes. The general dune morphology indicates formation by westerly winds. However, zooming in on the image shows smaller scale ripples that appear to have been formed by winds blowing from the south and north.
WOW it is so amazing the things that we and other countries are doing in space at this time in our lives.
Trudy
ESA has some of the coolest missions. Japan and India also have great missions. Russia is of course an old hand at spaceflight. China is “the” up and coming country though, and I say good for them their willingness to advance scientific knowledge is very commendable (as long as they don’t blow up any more satellites without knowing the consequences of the debris).
BTW, it won’t be long before Australia is in the mix too at least as far as commercial launches goes (talking about launches and not missions; Australia is very involved in many missions).
It would be a good idea if there was some cooperation between the spacefaring countries to come up with some sort of plan to clean up some of the junk up there.
Thanks For the information Tom I didn’t realize the number of countries involved in the space program and yet a part of me thought there may have been more. I also agree that they need to do something with the junk up there. I hear it was a close call for the space station with just a 4in piece of space junk the other day.
Trudy