Martian Sand Dunes near The North Pole | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Martian Sand Dunes near The North Pole | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

This image shows several large sand dunes near the North Pole of Mars. The picture was taken in Martian summertime with only small patches of ice remaining at the surface. This shows up as bright, somewhat blue, spots on slopes that provide some shading from the sun.

This image was taken by the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Release Date: May 10, 2023

 #NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #NorthPole #SandDunes #Geology #Landscape #Terrain #MRO #HiRISE #Spacecraft #JPL #California #UA #UniversityOfArizona #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #STEM #Education