Monday, December 08, 2008

Hundreds of Mars 3-D photos released


The UA High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, team released 362 3-D images of Mars taken by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The HiRISE camera – "the most powerful camera ever to orbit another planet" – has a resolution as small as one meter.

In the image at right, "the floor here is approximately 4 kilometers below the canyon rim. The layers are made of sand- and dust-sized particles that were transported here by either wind or water. This canyon may have been filled to its rim by these sedimentary layers, subsequently eroded away, most likely by the wind. The elongate hills may represent areas of rock that are stronger due to differences in the size of the sedimentary particles, chemical alteration, or both."

The Arizona Daily Star posted an extensive slide show of many of the most spectacular shots.

Dig out your old red and blue cardboard glasses and take the tour. Pretty spectacular pictures.

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