Slope of Gale Crater above MSL Landing Site
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Slope of Gale Crater above MSL Landing Site
ESP_023034_1755  Science Theme: Hydrothermal Processes
This image covers materials near Gale Crater just north of the planned Mars Science Laboratory landing site.

It is possible that hydrothermal deposits formed here in association with the creation and cooling of Gale Crater billions of years ago. This material could then have been transported into the landing ellipse by fluvial processes.

Hydrothermal deposits may represent evidence for an ancient habitable environment on Mars.



Written by: Alfred McEwen  (3 August 2011)
 
Acquisition date
26 June 2011

Local Mars time
14:08

Latitude (centered)
-4.248°

Longitude (East)
137.389°

Spacecraft altitude
269.0 km (167.2 miles)

Original image scale range
53.9 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~162 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
3.7°

Phase angle
37.4°

Solar incidence angle
34°, with the Sun about 56° above the horizon

Solar longitude
317.7°, Northern Winter

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  342.0°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (200MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (91MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
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map-projected  (86MB)
non-map           (116MB)

IRB color
map projected  (30MB)
non-map           (104MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (215MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (197MB)

RGB color
non map           (94MB)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
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.