Indian Mars Orbiter Shoots Spectacular New Images of Sheer Canyon and Curiosity’s Crater

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Indian Mars Orbiter Shoots Spectacular New Images of Sheer Canyon and Curiosity’s Crater
by Ken Kremer on August 17, 2015

This view over the Ophir Chasma canyon on the Martian surface was taken by the Mars Colour Camera aboard India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). Ophir Chasma is a canyon in the Coprates quadrangle located at 4° south latitude and 72.5° west longitude. It is part of the Valles Marineris canyon system. Credit: ISRO

India’s space agency has released a spectacular new batch of images taken by everyone’s favorite MOM – the Mars Orbiter Mission – the nation’s first probe ever dispatched to the Red Planet and which achieved orbit nearly a year ago.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has published a beautiful gallery of images featuring a steep and stunning Martian canyon and the landing site of NASA’s Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory rover, and more.

The lead image was taken over the Ophir Chasma canyon on the Martian surface by the Mars Colour Camera aboard India’s Mars Orbiter Mission.

Ophir Chasma is a canyon in the Coprates quadrangle located at 4° south latitude and 72.5° west longitude. It is part of the Valles Marineris – the ‘Grand Canyon of Mars’ – and the largest known canyon in the Solar System.

The image was captured on July 19, 2015 from an altitude of 1857 kilometers (1154 miles). It has with a resolution of 96 meters.

The steep walled Ophir Chasma canyon contains many layers and the floors contain large deposits of layered materials, perhaps even sulfates.

Ophir Chasma is about 317 kilometers long and about 8 to 10 kilometers deep located near the center of Valles Marineris – see map below.

Valles Marineris stretches over 4,000 km (2,500 mi) across the Red Planet, is as much as 600 km wide and measures as much as 10 kilometers (6 mi) deep. It is nearly as wide as the United States.

Here’s an illuminating and magnificent 3D portrayal of Ophir Chasma created by Indian scientists that gives a sense of the canyons scale, sheer walls and cliffs and depth:


3D portrayals of Ophir Chasma terrain based on images taken by India’s Mars Orbiter Mission color camera on 19 July 2015 . Credit: ISRO

The newest images were snapped after the spacecraft exited the communications blackout encountered by all of Earth’s invasion fleet of Red Planet orbiters and rovers during the recent conjunction period when Mars was behind the sun during much of June.

See the prior image release from ISRO in my MOM story – here.

Here’s a wider view of Valles Marineris showing Ophir Chasma in a previously published MOM image from ISRO.


Valles Marineris from India’s Mars Mission. Credit: ISRO

ISRO also released a delightful new image of Gale Crater and the surrounding vicinity.

Gale Crater is the landing site of NASA’s Curiosity rover. MOM took the image from an altitude of 9004 kilometers.


Gale Crater – landing site of NASA’s Curiosity rover – and vicinity as seen by India’s Mars Orbiter Mission from an altitude of 9004 km. Gale crater is home to humongous Mount Sharp which rises 5.5 km from the crater floor and is easily visible in this photo. Credit: ISRO

Gale Crater is home to humongous Mount Sharp, a mountain that rises 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) from the crater floor and is easily visible in the photo from MOM. The crater is 154 kilometers (96 mi) wide.

Curiosity is currently exploring the foothills of Mount Sharp around the top of the image – which shows a rather different perspective from what we’ve seen from prior familiar orbital imagery snapped by several NASA and ESA orbiters.

The 1 ton rover recently celebrated the 3rd anniversary since its nailbiting touchdown inside Gale crater. And the new wider angle image from MOM gives a fabulous sense of exactly why a highly precise landing was essential – otherwise it would have been doomed.

Curiosity recently drilled into the “Buckskin” target at an outcrop at the foothills of Mount Sharp. See the mountain in our ground level mosaic from the crater floor. And its kind of neat to actually imagine Curiosity sitting there while perusing MOM’s photo.


Curiosity extends robotic arm and conducts sample drilling at “Buckskin” rock target at bright toned “Lion” outcrop at the base of Mount Sharp on Mars, seen at right. Gale Crater eroded rim seen in the distant background at left, in this composite multisol mosaic of navcam raw images taken to Sol 1059, July 30, 2015. Navcam camera raw images stitched and colorized. Inset: MAHLI color camera up close image of full depth drill hole at “Buckskin” rock target on Sol 1060. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/Marco Di Lorenzo

MOM’s goal is to study Mars atmosphere, surface environments, morphology, and mineralogy with a 15 kg (33 lb) suite of five indigenously built science instruments. It is also sniffing for methane, a potential marker for biological activity.

MOM is India’s first deep space voyager to explore beyond the confines of her home planets influence and successfully arrived at the Red Planet after the “history creating” orbital insertion maneuver on Sept. 23/24, 2014 following a ten month journey from Earth.

The Indian probe arrived just after NASA’s MAVEN Mars orbiter, the first mission specifically targeted to study Mars tenuous upper atmosphere and the escape rates of atmospheric constituents.

MOM swoops around Mars in a highly elliptical orbit whose nearest point to the planet (periapsis) is at about 421 km and farthest point (apoapsis) at about 76,000 km, according to ISRO.

It takes MOM about 3.2 Earth days or 72 hours to orbit the Red Planet.

MOM was launched on Nov. 5, 2013 from India’s spaceport at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, atop the nations indigenous four stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) which placed the probe into its initial Earth parking orbit.

The $73 million MOM mission was expected to last at least six months. In March, ISRO extended the mission duration for another six months since its healthy, the five science instruments are operating fine and it has sufficient fuel reserves.

Including MOM, Earth’s invasion fleet at the Red Planet numbers a total of seven spacecraft comprising five orbiters from NASA, ESA and ISRO as well as the sister pair of mobile surface rovers from NASA – Curiosity and Opportunity.

Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and planetary science and human spaceflight news.

Ken Kremer


Location of Ophir Chasma canyon inside this annotated map of Valles Marineris created from the THEMIS camera on NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Credit: NASA


Olympus Mons, Tharsis Bulge trio of volcanoes and Valles Marineris from ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission. Note the clouds and south polar ice cap. Credit: ISRO

About Ken Kremer
Dr. Ken Kremer is a speaker, research scientist, freelance science journalist (Princeton, NJ) and photographer whose articles, space exploration images and Mars mosaics have appeared in magazines, books, websites and calendars including Astronomy Picture of the Day, NBC, BBC, SPACE.com, Spaceflight Now and the covers of Aviation Week & Space Technology, Spaceflight and the Explorers Club magazines. Ken has presented at numerous educational institutions, civic & religious organizations, museums and astronomy clubs. Ken has reported first hand from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, NASA Wallops, NASA Michoud/Stennis/Langley and on over 40 launches including 8 shuttle launches. He lectures on both Human and Robotic spaceflight - Dr. Ken Kremer Follow Ken on Facebook and Twitter

Indian Mars Orbiter Shoots Spectacular New Images of Sheer Canyon and Curiosity’s Crater

 

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India's Mars Orbiter captures stunning photo of solar system’s largest canyon
Published time: 18 Aug, 2015 12:51Edited time: 18 Aug, 2015 14:19

© ISRO - Government of India

The world's cheapest Mars mission has managed to capture a stunning 3D photo of the Red Planet. The beautiful image, snapped by India's Mars Orbiter, shows part of the solar system's largest canyon.
The photo, taken at an altitude of 1,857km (1,154 miles) on July 19, shows the many layers of Ophir Chasma – a system of steep valleys and scalloped terrain measuring 62km (38.5 miles) wide and 317km (197 miles) long.

The image was sent back to Earth on August 15, India's Independence Day.

Ophir Chasma is part of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system. It is shown to be bordered by high-walled cliffs revealing rough terrain alongside smoother areas.

Commenting on the photo snapped by the Mars Orbiter, India's Department of Space noted that “the walls of [Ophir Chasma] contain many layers and the floors contain large deposits of layered materials.”

While the photo shows a distant view of Ophir Chama, scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation have used the image to reconstruct what it might look like close-up.

© ISRO - Government of India

The picture is a huge accomplishment for the Mars Orbiter, which cost just $74 million to launch in November 2013 – making it the cheapest mission ever to be sent to Mars.

This is significantly less than the $671 million that NASA paid for its Maven Mars orbiter mission. In addition, Hollywood actually spends more on its space movies than India spends on the real thing – the sci-fi blockbuster 'Gravity' cost $100 million to make.

The project is proof that small budgets don't necessarily impede success. Using its shoestring budget, India became the first country to reach Mars' orbit in its first attempt. This is substantial, considering more than half of all attempts to reach the Red Planet fail.

The Mars Orbiter Mission – also known as Mangalyaan, which means ‘Mars-craft’ in Sanskrit – reached its orbit in September 2014.

It’s been monitoring the planet by studying its atmosphere and particle environment. It’s also been surveying the Red Planet's surface, sending back photos taken with its Thermal Infrared Spectrometer and tricolor Mars Colour Camera.

The main goal of the mission was to show India's ability to develop and implement space technology; anything else – including the Ophir Chama photo – is considered a bonus.

Though the Mars Orbiter's six-month mission has ended, it will continue to send data as long as it remains functional.

India's Mars Orbiter captures stunning photo of solar system’s largest canyon — RT News

 

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Explore the red planet's vast valleys: India's budget Mars Orbiter captures stunning 3D image of the Ophir Chasma

• Ophir Chasma is located in Mars' Valles Marineris, the biggest canyon in the solar system
• It covers an area of smooth and patchy terrain around 197 miles (317km) long and 62km (38.5 miles) wide
• Image taken by India's Mars Orbiter spacecraft, which arrived in orbit in September and cost $74 million
• India has faced criticism for the mission by those who say it can't afford to indulge in space technology

By Ellie Zolfagharifard For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:11 GMT, 17 August 2015 | Updated: 20:15 GMT, 17 August 2015

India's Mars Orbiter Mission has celebrated the country's independence day by sending back an incredible 3D image of the Ophir Chasma on Mars.

The feature, which describes a system of deep valleys, is located in Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system.

It covers an area around 197 miles (317km) long and 62km (38.5 miles) wide, revealing various layers of materials making up the red planet's surface.

India's Mars Orbiter Mission has celebrated the country's independence day by sending back incredible 3D images of the Ophir Chasma on Mars. The feature, which describes a system of deep valleys, is located in Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system

INDIA'S SPACE PROGRAMME

The Mars Orbiter Mission, India's first spacecraft launched to Mars, arrived 23 September 2014.

It was launched on a tight budget, costing around $74 million compared with Nasa's $671 million Maven Mars orbiter mission.

But it still faced some criticism by some who claim the country could not afford to indulge in such a mission when a third of the population have no access to electricity.

Its aim was to study the Martian surface and atmosphere and demonstrate technologies needed for interplanetary missions.

The Mars' Orbiter's original six-month mission is now over, but the probe will continue to send data back to Earth for as long as it is functional.

The country has been trying to keep up with neighbouring China, which has poured billions of dollars into its own space programme.

The Mars Orbiter took the image on July 19 from 1,154 miles (1,857 km), allowing scientists to reconstruct a close-up view of the terrain.

'The walls of the chasma contain many layers and the floors contain large deposits of layered materials, the Indian space agency said on its website.

'This image is taken...at an altitude of 1,857 km (1,154 miles) with a resolution of 96 megapixels.'

Ophir Chasma is bordered by high-walled cliffs, most likely faults, that reveal rough terrain alongside smoother sections.

The cliff walls have been dissected by massive landslides, which created debris more than 1,000 times greater than that from the May 18, 1980, debris avalanche from Mount St Helens.

The Mars Orbiter launched in November 2013 on a tight budget, costing around $74 million.

This compares to $100 million budget for the sci-fi Hollywood blockbuster 'Gravity' and Nasa's $671 million Maven Mars orbiter mission.

Its original six-month mission is now over, but the probe will continue to send data back to Earth for as long as it is functioning.

Earlier this year, the probe revealed a spectacular 3D view of Arsia Mons, a huge volcano on the surface of Mars that has its peak 10 miles (16km) high.

The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (Mola) instrument on the spacecraft was used to help map the topography of the region.

An equally spectacular image reveals Phobos, one of the two moons orbiting Mars (the other is Deimos), silhouetted against the Martian surface.


The image was taken from an altitude of 15,000 miles (24,000km), with a resolution of about 0.7 miles (1.2km) per pixel.

A portion of the canyon known as Eos Chaos was also observed by the spacecraft, revealing fracture patterns in the surface.

The images of the surface could help scientists understand the geological processes taking place on Mars at a local scale.

India's successful mission to Mars, all on its first attempt, is a huge source of national pride, while the government has heralded the project as an example of Indian-made capability.

The feature covers an area 317km (197 miles) long and 62km (38.5 miles) wide, revealing various layers of materials making up the red planet's surface. Pictured is a reconstruction of what the feature could look like close up

The Mars Orbiter took the images on July 19 from 1,154 miles (1,857 km), allowing scientists to reconstruct a close-up view of the terrain

The Mars Orbiter launched in November 2013 on a tight budget, costing around $74 million. This compares to $100 million budget for the sci-fi Hollywood blockbuster 'Gravity' and Nasa's $671 million Maven Mars orbiter mission

The country has been trying to keep up with neighbouring giant China, which has poured billions of dollars into its own space programme.

Of the five instruments on board, the spacecraft's camera has been the most active, capturing images of the planet's surface, including valleys, mountains, craters, clouds and dust storms.

The other four have been conducting various experiments to study the Martian surface, including its mineral composition and to scan its atmosphere for methane gas, which comes mainly from living organisms.

Scientists at mission control in the southern city of Bangalore say the spacecraft and its instruments are functioning normally.

'The success of our space programme is a shining symbol of what we are capable of as a nation. Our space programme has been an example of achievement,' said India's prime minister, Narendra Modi soon after the probe's launch.

Modi has said he wants to expand the country's five-decade-old space programme.

With a spacecraft around Mars, India joins a small group of nations - the United States, Russia and Europe - that have successfully sent probes to orbit or land on Mars.

Modi also holds the additional charge as India's minister of space, and in June endorsed the low-cost of the project, saying it cost even less than the budget 'Gravity'. The Hollywood blockbuster cost about £61 million ($100 million) to make.

India’s Mars mission has faced some criticism by people, who have said the country could not afford to indulge in such a mission when a third of the population have no access to electricity.

However successful high-tech industries like space and science are widely regarded as good ways to drive a country's economy and create more jobs, which will help the nation in the long-term.

This spectacular image reveals Phobos, one of the two moons orbiting Mars (the other is Deimos), silhouetted against the Martian surface (shown). Although Phobos is the larger of the two moons, it is still only about 14 miles (22km) across, and completes an orbit of Mars once every seven Earth hours. The odd colour of Mars is due to the specific filters used by the camera

This is a 3D view of Arsia Mons, a huge dormant volcano on the surface of the planet. Volcanic deposits can be seen on its flanks

In this close-up view of the surface, the Mars Colour Camera on the spacecraft captured a shot of the huge Valles Marineris Canyon - which at more than 2,500 miles (4,000km) long is one of the largest canyons in the solar system, covering nearly a fifth the circumference of Mars

The Mars Orbiter, India's first spacecraft launched to Mars, arrived 23 September 2014. Pictured is an artist's impression of the probe

India's budget Mars Orbiter captures stunning 3D image of the Ophir Chasma | Daily Mail Online

 

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India's Mars Orbiter sends back stunning 3-D images of the largest known canyon in the solar system

Photo Credit: isro.gov.in The orbiter managed to provide a glimpse of the largest known canyon system in the solar system.

In the 18 months since its launch, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission has gathered something of a cult following. It could partly be due to the stream of stunning images and updates that the spacecraft keeps sending to anyone who follows it on Twitter or Facebook.

On Friday, the mission sent home 3-D rendered images of the Valles Marineri, a canyon system on the red planet that is nearly 5,000 km long. It was a perfect Independence Day present for astronomy lovers and stargazers who got to see a beautiful and fascinating feature of a planet that has been studied by my many countries for signs of life.

Snapped from the height of nearly 2,000 km by the Mars Coloured Camera, Valles Marineris is the largest-known canyon complex in the solar system.

A 62-km wide valley called Opir Chasma can be seen bordered by high cliffs in the pictures sent by the orbiter, which entered Mars’ orbit last September after lifting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in November 2013.

It had earlier sent images of wrinkle ridges and craters on the surface of the planet.

Over the months, the high-resolution images MOM has related have included pictures of the Aurorae Chaos, a long terrain with irregular flat blocks. The images showed signs of fluvial activity, which means that water or similar substances could have flowed there sometime in the past.

Built at the cost of just Rs 450 crores, the orbiter still has 39 kilograms of fuel it still has left in the tanks – which could mean a few more years of breathtaking pictures, among other things.

All images taken from Indian Space Research Organisation's website.

India's Mars Orbiter sends back stunning 3-D images of the largest known canyon in the solar system

 

[Chanakyaa]

Great Effort.