Energy News  
Martian Basin Dune

Desktop it - 1280 or 1024
This image was taken during orbit 427 on 27 May 2004, and shows the crater with a dune field located in the north-western part of the Argyre Planitia crater basin. Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)

Paris (ESA) Aug 24, 2004
This image, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, shows a Martian crater with a dune field on its floor.

The image was taken during orbit 427 in May 2004, and shows the crater with a dune field located in the north-western part of the Argyre Planitia crater basin.

The image is centered at Mars longitude 303� East and latitude 43� South. The image resolution is approximately 16.2 meters per pixel.

The crater is about 45 kilometers wide and 2 kilometers deep. In the north-eastern part of this crater, the complex dune field is 7 kilometers wide by 12 kilometers long.

In arid zones on Earth, these features are called 'barchanes', which are dunes having an asymmetrical profile, with a gentle slope on the wind-facing side and a steep slope on the lee-side.

The dune field shown here suggests an easterly wind direction with its steeper western part. The composition of the dune material is not certain, but the dark sands could be of basaltic origin.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Mars Express at ESA
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Spirit Heading To 'Home Plate'
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 09, 2006
Last week Spirit completed robotic-arm work on "El Dorado." The rover used all three of its spectrometers plus the microscopic imager for readings over the New Year's weekend.







  • Whistler Investmests To Present World's First Lithium-Powered Embassy Vehicle
  • Scientists Report First Observation Of An "Atomic Air Force"
  • Sun Solaris Compute Grid Powers NextGen Nuclear Reactor Design From The DoE
  • Nuclear Energy Institute Praises Exelon-DOJ Used Fuel Settlement

  • Yucca Mountain Site Must Make Use Of Geological Safety Net
  • New Jersey Physicist Uncovers New Information About Plutonium
  • Complex Plant Design Goes Virtual To Save Time And Money
  • Volcanic Hazard At Yucca Mountain Greater Than Previously Thought





  • NASA Uses Remotely Piloted Airplane To Monitor Grapes



  • NASA To Award Contract For Aerospace Testing
  • Sonic Boom Modification May Lead To New Era
  • Hewitt Pledges Support For Aerospace Industry
  • National Consortium Picks Aviation Technology Test Site

  • NASA plans to send new robot to Jupiter
  • Los Alamos Hopes To Lead New Era Of Nuclear Space Tranportion With Jovian Mission
  • Boeing Selects Leader for Nuclear Space Systems Program
  • Boeing-Led Team to Study Nuclear-Powered Space Systems

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement