Space Industry and Business News  
MARSDAILY
Mars Express keeps watch on frosty Martian valleys
by Staff Writers
Paris (ESA) Mar 28, 2016


A portion of the vast Hellas Basin, incorporating the transition of the fractured, terraced rim (top) into the smoother frost-covered basin floor (bottom). The region was imaged by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA's Mars Express on 6 December 2015 during orbit 15127. The image is centred on 45S/48E and the ground resolution is about 52 m per pixel. More images and caption

Nestled within the fractured rim of a vast impact basin on Mars are valley floors dusted in frost. At 2200 km wide and up to 9 km deep, the Hellas Basin is the largest impact crater on Mars. This scene, captured on 6 December 2015 by ESA's Mars Express, focuses on a portion of the western rim of the basin.

This region spans a height difference of over 6000 m, stepping down like a staircase from the basin's fractured, terraced rim to its flat, low-lying floor that is covered in frost or ice.

The surface expression of numerous valley-like features can be seen below the icy covering, indicating a flow of material towards the catchment areas on the floor of Hellas.

For example, towards the centre of the image, a glacier-like flow has carved a valley through the terraced topography, transporting and dumping material into the basin in a fan structure.

Zooming into the channel reveals parallel structures on the surface - 'lineated valley fill'- that point to the flow of material.

Mass-movement of material can be seen all over the scene. Another example can be found in the small impact crater to the far left of the main image: its rim has been breached, and material has cascaded downhill.

Elsewhere, numerous gullies can be seen etched all along the terraced slopes.

Towards the centre-right of the main images are neighbouring impact craters that have been cross-cut by a fault, creating a small step in the terrain that can be best seen in the 3D anaglyph image.

The fault must be younger than the crater that it cuts through, implying that this region could have been subject to later periods of faulting due to subsidence of the terraces.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Mars Express
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
MARSDAILY
Money troubles may delay Europe-Russia Mars mission
Paris (AFP) Jan 15, 2016
Part of a joint European-Russian mission to search for signs of life on Mars may be delayed due to cash flow problems, the European Space Agency said Friday. "We need some more money," ESA director general Jan Woerner told journalists in Paris, citing project cost increases. The ExoMars project is scheduled to kick off in March this year with the launch of an orbiter, due to arrive at th ... read more


MARSDAILY
3D-printed component flies in Trident missile tests

How to make porous materials dry faster

Saab showcases Sea Giraffe 1X air and surface naval radar

Wrangler Supercomputer speeds through big data

MARSDAILY
In-orbit delivery of Laos' 1st satellite launched

Upgrade set for Britain's tactical communications system

Airbus continues operating German military satellites

BAE Systems supports Navy communications and electronics

MARSDAILY
MHI signs H-IIA launch deal for UAE Mars mission

Launch of Dragon Spacecraft to ISS Postponed Until April

ILS and INMARSAT Agree To Future Proton Launch

Soyuz 2-1B Carrier Rocket Launched From Baikonur

MARSDAILY
ISRO Developing 'Front-End Chip' for Satellite Navigation System

India to Launch Sixth Navigational Satellite on Thursday

Lockheed Martin building next generation of military GPS satellites

Traffic app says not at fault for Israel troops losing way

MARSDAILY
Flying wing-shaped airplane validating new wing design method

RAND Corp receives $231 Mln to plan fture of US Air Force

Airbus selling its defense electronics business

NATO pilot training aircraft get Beechcraft support

MARSDAILY
Former Intel CEO Andy Grove dead at 79

Protected Majorana states for quantum information

Researchers take giant step towards 'holy grail' of silicon photonics

Making electronics safer with perovskites

MARSDAILY
Research on near-earth space to start with first launch from Vostochny

NASA Gets Down to Earth with Globe-Spanning Campaigns

Russia Prepared to Offer Launch Options for Morocco's Satellite

Jason-3 Begins Mapping Oceans, Sees Ongoing El Nino

MARSDAILY
Beirut trash clean-up begins as critics cry foul

Mercury rising?

'Chemical Chernobyl': activists say toxic dump threatens St. Petersburg

Mexico City lifts air pollution alert









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.