| Cynthia O’Carroll Cynthia.M.Ocarroll.1@gsfc.nasa.gov (Phone: 301-614-5563) |
May 27, 1999 |
RELEASE NO: P99-067
MARS ORBITER LASER ALTIMETER IMAGE OF MARS NORTHERN HEMISPHERE -
This image was created from data gathered by the Mars Obiter Laser Altimeter instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and shows the Northern Hemisphere of Mars in false-color-contours.
The green-blue hues lie below the topographic "sea-level" datum, which is the average surface height of Mars at the equator. The Elysium volcanic rise lies to the right of the circular Utopia Basin, with the polar cap at the top lying in a large depression.
This new data provides the first accurate topographic map of Mars, more accurate in some cases, than the topographic maps of many regions on Earth. The elevation accuracy is 42 feet (13 meters) and large areas of the flat northern hemisphere are known to better than 6 feet (2 meters).
PHOTO CREDIT: NASA, or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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