Crater Floor and Central Mound in Gale Crater (MSL)
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Crater Floor and Central Mound in Gale Crater (MSL)
PSP_009716_1755  Science Theme: Future Exploration/Landing Sites
This observation was taken on the western edge of the proposed landing ellipse for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover in Gale Crater.

The top of the image shows a relatively smooth and boulder-free area for the rover to land and traverse safely. In the bottom half of the image, light-toned material, layered mounds, dunes and etched terrain are visible near the base of the large mound in the center of Gale Crater.



Written by: Sharon Wilson Purdy  (1 September 2008)


This is a stereo pair with PSP_009650_1755.
 
Acquisition date
22 August 2008

Local Mars time
15:35

Latitude (centered)
-4.613°

Longitude (East)
137.310°

Spacecraft altitude
265.3 km (164.9 miles)

Original image scale range
27.5 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
13.5°

Phase angle
48.7°

Solar incidence angle
59°, with the Sun about 31° above the horizon

Solar longitude
116.3°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  35.9°
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   (1517MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (829MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (838MB)
non-map           (767MB)

IRB color
map projected  (381MB)
non-map           (612MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (373MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (358MB)

RGB color
non map           (608MB)
ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL (DTM)
DTM details page

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.