- NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
New images from the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab’s HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, including a shot of the dry ice melting near in the high northern latitudes.
LPL’s Candy Hansen tells us:
There is a vast region of sand dunes at high northern latitudes on Mars. In the winter, a layer of carbon dioxide ice covers the dunes, and in the spring as the sun warms the ice it evaporates. This is a very active process, and sand dislodged from the crests of the dunes cascades down, forming dark streaks.
In the subimage falling material has kicked up a small cloud of dust. The color of the ice surrounding adjacent streaks of material suggests that dust has settled on the ice at the bottom after similar events.
Also discernible in this subimage are polygonal cracks in the ice on the dunes (the cracks disappear when the ice is gone).
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2010.
Red Star doesn’t doubt for a moment that Jim Nintzel means well. The problem with the images he presents is that there is no sense of scale. That makes it difficult for the Old Pueblo to relate. For example, how would the image look if an outline of the Old Pueblo’s city limits were plopped down on the image of The Martian Dunes? This easily done with Photoshop.
Time to spec-up Jim Nintzel?
Oh Red Star, the brainy types like you can just follow the link and do the math! LPL gives you all you need.
Though putting the Magic Carpet Golf critters on the surface of Mars would make for a great project. Anyone out there want to give it a shot?
Fascinating photo! Keep posting ’em!
It’s like something out of Avatar
“Though putting the Magic Carpet Golf critters on the surface of Mars would make for a great project.”
As would the arena football arena that was going to save the Old Pueblo…
And the Target fulfillment center over in Vail whiteyland that is begging for employees over at ADS this date for some strange reason…
Time to get back down to Earth, Jim Nintzel?