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Posted by: SigurRosFan Feb 6 2006, 12:27 PM

http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/02/06/ - Arsia & Phobos

MOC images from January 28, 2006 (692 KB):
http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/02/06/Arsia_012806c_annot.jpg

Posted by: icez Feb 6 2006, 02:47 PM

This is amazingly pretty. I wonder how high they are compared to the Mons?

Posted by: djellison Feb 6 2006, 03:08 PM

It's images like that that prompted me to ask about the possibility of imaging the ground during a transit instead of the sun, to see the terrain darken. Hopefully next transit season


Doug

Posted by: RNeuhaus Feb 6 2006, 03:59 PM

I think that the chain Montes Tharsis: Arsia, Ascraeous and Pavonis have similar height between 12-15 km above of the reference surface. MER-A (Spirit) rovers is under 1km meters of reference surface at the bottom of the Gusev Basin and MER-B, I don't know it by sure but and I speculate it is lower than 1 km of r.s. Olympus is around 24 km tall.

Rodolfo

Posted by: Bob Shaw Feb 6 2006, 09:49 PM

If you're asking how high is MGS above Mars, then the answer is about 250 miles.

The large-scale image you see here is *not* photographic, but is instead built up as part of the global line-scan image return, so the perspective can be a bit odd. The inset is a real photo (in the sense that any spacecraft images are).

Bob Shaw

Posted by: nprev Feb 7 2006, 02:04 AM

I thought Oppy's landing site had relatively high surface elevation; seems I remember that EDL was problematic because of low surface pressure...

Posted by: RNeuhaus Feb 7 2006, 07:38 PM

Yep. I found that the Meridiani Planum zone is between -1,000 to 0 meters below of level reference. However, the MSL landing zone has improved much up to 2,000 above of level of reference. The restriction is as you said, the low Mars air density and the spacecraft needs to carry greater aerobreaking and combustible to brake during its EDL that is not a very good business and science usefulness weigth.

Rodolfo