3-D Mars North Pole
Explanation:
This dramatic premier three-dimensional visualization of Mars' north pole
is based on elevation measurements made by an orbiting laser.
During the Spring and Summer of 1998 the
Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) flashed laser pulses
toward the Martian surface from the
Global Surveyor spacecraft and
recorded the time it took
to detect the reflection.
This timing data has now been translated to a detailed
topographic map of
Mars' north polar terrain.
The map indicates that the ice cap is
is about 1,200 kilometers across, a maximum of 3 kilometers thick, and
cut by canyons and troughs up to 1 kilometer deep.
The measurements also indicate that the cap is composed primarily
of water ice with a total volume of only about four percent
of planet Earth's
Antarctic ice sheet.
In all it represents at most a tenth of the amount of water some
scientists believe once
existed on ancient Mars.
Where did all the
water go?
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
