HiPOD: Friday, 4 October 2024
Western Edge of Marth Crater

Western Edge of Marth Crater

Western Edge of Marth Crater
In the book “The Martian” by Andy Weir (2011), stranded astronaut Mark Watney is headed for the Ares 4 landing site but encounters the rim of Marth Crater just as a dust storm arrives. This HiRISE image shows the nature of this terrain.

The crater rim is not very distinct and from the ground it would be quite difficult to tell that you are even on the rim of a crater. The terrain is hummocky and rolling, punctuated by smaller impact craters and wind-blown drifts of sand or dust.

ID: ESP_042252_1930
date: 1 August 2015
altitude: 278 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_042252_1930
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science #NASA

Black & white is less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km. For full observation details, visit the ID link.