Frosty Sand Dunes of Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Frosty Sand Dunes of Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

A field of sand dunes occupies this frosty 5-kilometer diameter crater in the high-latitudes of the northern plains of Mars. Some dunes have separated from the main field and appear to be climbing up the crater slope along a gully-like form.

Black and white images are less than 5 km across; enhanced color images are less than 1 km.

Local Mars time

14:15

Latitude (centered)

76.150°

Longitude (East)

270.545°

Spacecraft altitude

315.8 km (196.3 miles)

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) 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 Aug. 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), 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/University of Arizona

Image Date: Feb. 17, 2021

Release Date: March 15, 2021

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