This activity uses present MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter) topographic data and MOC (Mars Orbiting Camera) images from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). Viking orbital images of the Mars surface from 1976 are also used as a main component in comparison.
- Photo of MOLA instrument - NASA
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/gif/mgs-logo.gif
MOLA samples topography 10 times per second with a vertical precision of 2 meters from an altitude of 400 km above the planet.
MOC produces a daily wide-angle, low resolution image of the entire planet and narrow-angle images of objects as small as 1.5 meters in width.
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MGS begins total planetary mapping in March 1999 and will continue for two years. The frequency of data available to the public will be continuous.
Focus on tectonic activity and areomorphology will allow students to use a variety of mapping and math skills in order to specify coordinates of areological formations, compare tectonic and erosional formations with those on Earth, and analyze profiles of selected areological features. Among the structures of study are volcanoes, faults, escarpments, river channels, craters, and other features.
Ares- Latin for Mars; areography- the study of the surface features of Mars.
- http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/gif/mgs-logo.gif
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