NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Slopes in the north polar region of Mars exhibit outcroppings of layered material. No one knows the composition of the layers, but the uppermost layers of are thought to be a mixture of dust and ice in some proportion. Lower layers in the north polar region are thought to include sand. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a late northern spring view of a slope on which are exposed some of the upper layers in the north polar region. Bright surfaces in this image are covered by frost. The image is located near 81.5°N, 340.6°W. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.
Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, California. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, California and Denver, Colorado.