Planet Mars: Exposed Rock in Coprates Chasma | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Planet Mars: Exposed Rock in Coprates Chasma | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

This observation by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows brighter rocks that could be minerals that formed when basaltic rock was altered by water flowing deep underground a long time ago before the chasma opened up. Alternatively, the light-toned rocks may be sediments that were deposited when water filled up portions of Coprates Chasma. Dark dunes that could still be active are at the bottom of the image, attesting to more recent activity in this location. 

Coprates Chasma is a huge canyon in the Coprates quadrangle of Mars, located at 13.4° south latitude and 61.4° west longitude, part of the Valles Marineris canyon system. It is 966 km (600 mi) long and was named after a classical albedo feature name. It was named from the classical Greek name for the Dez River in Persia.

Image cutout is less than 1 km (under 1 mi) across and the spacecraft altitude was 265 km (164 mi).
Acquisition date: July 15, 2012
Latitude (centered): -14.740°
Longitude (East): 304.568°

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. 

The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). It was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

For more information on MRO, visit:

science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Narration: Tre Gibbs

Duration: 42 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 29, 2012

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #Geology #Landscape #Terrain #Geoscience #CopratesChasma #MRO #MarsOrbiter #MarsSpacecraft #HiRISECamera #JPL #Caltech #BallAerospace #MSSS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video