Hilly and lineated terrain and a patch of smooth plains in a large degraded crater (lower left portion of the image). Linear scalloped valleys extend mostly NW from the center(e.g., Arecibo Vallis); some trend NNE. Small craters are rare in the terrain; most landforms are positive. Area centered at 28 degrees S, 22 degrees W measures 450 km across. Mariner 10 frame 27370 taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02445: Hilly and Lineated Terrain sur le site de la NASA.
The Caloris Basin, shown here in a 1 kilometer per pixel mosaic, is one of the largest basins in the solar system, its diameter exceeds 1300 kilometers and is in many ways similar to the great Imbrium basin on the Moon (diameter >1100 kilometers). To enhance landforms a highpass filter was used in processing.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02439: Caloris Basin sur le site de la NASA.
Antoniadi Ridge, over 450 kilometers long, runs along the right side of this image. The ridge transects a large crater (80-km in diameter) and in turn appears to be interrupted by an irregular rimless depression on the floor of the crater. This ridge also crosses smooth plains to the north and intercrater plains to the south of the large crater.
This image (FDS 27325) was acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02430: Antoniadi Ridge sur le site de la NASA.
Taken only minutes after Mariner 10 made its closest approach to the planet Mercury on March 29, this is one of the highest resolution pictures obtained during the mission. Craters as small as 150 meters (500 feet) across can be seen. The picture, taken from a distance of about 5900 kilometers (3700 miles), measures 50 by 40 kilometers 931 by 25 miles). The relativity level surface contrasts with the abundant relief seen in some close-up views on the opposite side of the planet. The long, narrow area of hills and scarps to the left resembles ridges in the mare of Earth's moon. Abundant craters in various stages of degradation dot the surface.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
NOTE: This image was scanned from physical media.
Voir l'image PIA02961: Mercury at First Encounter Closest Approach sur le site de la NASA.
Mariner 10 obtained this picture (FDS 166619) of an area 460 by 640 kilometers (285 by 400 miles) in the Southern hemisphere of Mercury during its second encounter with the planet on September 21, 1974. Taken from a distance of 78,000 kilometers (48,000 miles), the photo reveals a heavily cratered terrain with a prominent scrap extending several hundred kilometers across the upper left. A 40-kilometer-diameter (25 miles) crater, nested in a larger crater, 120 kilometers (75 miles), is at top center. A basin about 240 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter is barely discernible at lower right. Crater chains produced by material ejected from a larger crater located outside the field of view appear at lower left. The smallest details measure about 1.7 kilometers (one mile).
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02937: Heavily Cratered Terrain at South Pole sur le site de la NASA.
Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974. During its flight, Mariner 10's trajectory brought it behind the lighted hemisphere of Mercury, where this image was taken, in order to acquire important measurements with other instruments.
This picture was acquired from a distance of 3,340,000 miles (5,380,000 km) from the surface of Mercury. The diameter of Mercury (3,031 miles; 4,878 km) is about 1/3 that of Earth.
Images of Mercury were acquired in two steps, an inbound leg (images acquired before passing into Mercury's shadow) and an outbound leg (after exiting from Mercury's shadow). More than 2300 useful images of Mercury were taken, both moderate resolution (3-20 km/pixel) color and high resolution (better than 1 km/pixel) black and white coverage.
Voir l'image PIA00437: Planet Mercury sur le site de la NASA.
After passing Mercury the first time and making a trip around the Sun, Mariner 10 again flew by Mercury on September 21 at 1:59 PMPDT. This encounter brought the spacecraft in front of Mercury in the southern hemisphere.
Much of Mercury looks like the lunar highlands, a scene carved by billions of years of impact craters. This image (FDS 166724) was taken when Mariner 10 was near its closest approach to the planet during the second encounter, about 50,000 km. This image is found near the center of the area not imaged during the first encounter.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02414: Similarities to Lunar Highlands sur le site de la NASA.
Taken about 40 minutes before Mariner 10 made its close approach to Mercury on September 21, this picture (FDS 166684) shows a large (230 kilometers, 142 miles) double-ringed basin (center of picture) located in the planet's south polar region - 75 degrees S. Lat. 120 degrees W. Long. Mercury saw the basin from a different viewing angle on Mariner 10's first sweep last March. This picture was taken from about 55,000 kilometers (44,000 miles). North is toward upper left.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02942: Large Double-ringed Basin sur le site de la NASA.
A cratered area near Mercury's South Pole was photographed by Mariner 10 during its second flyby of the planet of September 21, 1974 (the spacecraft made its first encounter with Mercury on March 19, 1974). The plains between the craters are traversed by ridges and scarps. At lower right, the lineated and cratered terrain is part of the ejecta blasted from a large impact crater out of view of Mariner 10's TV cameras. The picture (FDS 166687) was taken from a range of 54,500 kilometers (33,850, miles) and covers an area 460 by 350 kilometers (285 by 217 miles). The day-night terminator is at right. North is at the top.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02945: South Pole - Ridges, Scarps, Craters sur le site de la NASA.
After passing Mercury the first time and making a trip around the Sun, Mariner 10 again flew by Mercury on September 21 at 1:59 PMPDT. This encounter brought the spacecraft in front of Mercury in the southern hemisphere.
Hero Rupes, the large scarp visible running across the bottom of the image, is thought to thought to have been formed by global tectonic forces, possibly due to shrinkage of the planet as it cooled. Mariner 10 was looking obliquely across Mercury's southern hemisphere when it acquired this dramatic shot near the beginning of its southern hemisphere pass (FDS166618).
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02413: Hero Rupes Scarp sur le site de la NASA.
Mariner 10 took this picture (FDS 166840) from a distance of 63,400 kilometers (39,300 miles) about an hour after it passed under the South Pole of Mercury. The dark-rimmed crater at upper left is 67 kilometers (42 miles) in diameter. It is surrounded by an extensive ejecta blanket and exhibits a bright ray pattern, which extends into and beyond the larger crater (120 kilometers, 75 miles) to its right and near the picture's center. The dark-rimmed crater is similar to crater Tycho on Earth's moon. The center of this picture is located 33 degrees S. Lat. 158 degrees W. Long. North is to the top.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02939: Dark-rimmed Crater and Extensive Ejecta Blanket sur le site de la NASA.
Plains material east of the Caloris basin is shown this image (FDS 191) acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury. Several west-facing lobate scarps occur in the hummocky plains interpreted as Caloris ejecta and may be short flow fronts of partially melted ejecta which flowed back toward the basin after deposition.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02426: Lobate Scarps within the Hummocky Plains East of Caloris Basin sur le site de la NASA.
This image (FDS 108), acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury, is located about 500 km east of the Caloris basin. The image shows hummocky plains interpreted as Caloris ejecta in the upper half of the picture and smooth plains in the lower half. Elongated hummocks and troughs aligned concentrically to the rim of the Caloris are well developed in the upper right part of the picture. A part of the pre-Caloris basin (240-km in diameter) seen in the lower part of the picture is filled with smooth plains. At the western margin of this basin is a west facing scarp that forms the boundary between hummocky plains (west) and smooth plains (east).
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02421: Hummocky and Smooth Plains sur le site de la NASA.
After passing on the darkside of the planet, Mariner 10 photographed the other, somewhat more illuminated hemisphere of Mercury. The north pole is at the top, two-thirds down from which is the equator.
The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission.
The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Voir l'image PIA03104: Photomosaic of Mercury - Outbound View sur le site de la NASA.
This is a mosaic of images taken of Mercury taken from 125,000 miles away. The tiny, brightly rayed crater (just below center top) was the first recognizable feature on the planet's surface and was named in memory of astronomer Gerard Kuiper, a Mariner 10 team member.
The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission.
The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Voir l'image PIA03103: Photomosaic of Mercury - Inbound View sur le site de la NASA.
Lineated terrain not clearly related to any crater or basin. Widest valleys are 10 km across. Area centered at 8 degrees S, 148 degrees W. This image (FDS 246) was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02428: Lineated Terrain sur le site de la NASA.
A broadly curved lobate scarp (running from left to right in the large crater to the right of center in this image) is restricted to the floor of a crater 85 kilometers in diameter. The rim of this crater and the rims of those north of it have been disrupted by the process which caused the hilly and lineated terrain. This process has not affected the smooth plains on their floors, indicating that the floor materials post date the formation of the craters. In this case, the scarp on the crater floor may be a flow front formed during emplacement of the floor material.
This image (FDS 27379) was acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02431: Curved Lobate Scarp on Crater Floor sur le site de la NASA.
The plains filling this 440 kilometer basin centered at 15 degrees S, 149 degrees W (partially shown in the lower right of the picture) are uniformly brighter and slightly redder than the surrounding cratered terrain [Hapke et al., 1975]. Also, notice the flooded craters on the floor of the basin and that the terrain exterior to the basin is much more heavily cratered than the plains on the interior. These relationships indicate the smooth plains filling this basin are volcanic.
This image (FDS 125) was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02443: Smooth Volcanic Plains sur le site de la NASA.
Intercrater plains and heavily cratered terrain typical of much of Mercury outside the area affected by the formation of the Caloris basin are shown in this image (FDS 27488) taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury. Abundant shallow elongate craters and crater chains are present on the intercrater plains. Large tract of intercrater plains centered at 3 degrees N, 20 degrees W. Prominent scarp Santa Maria Rupes cuts both intercrater plains and old craters. North is to the top of this image which is 200 kilometers across.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02444: Intercrater Plains and Heavily Cratered Terrain - First Encounter sur le site de la NASA.
This photograph of Mercury was taken by the Mariner 10 spacecraft from a range of 34,860 miles (55,340 kilometers) during the first Mercury encounter on March 29, 1974. It shows an area in the northern hemisphere in the general area of photography to be obtained during the third encounter, Sunday, March 16, 1975. Seen in the photograph is a transition from heavily cratered terrain to a smooth plain. These smooth plains areas on Mercury are thought to be volcanic in origin with lava flows filling in heavily cratered areas. The photograph area is about 308 miles (490 kilometers) wide. (FDS 156)
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02438: Heavily Cratered Terrain and Smooth Plain sur le site de la NASA.
Mercury: Computer Photomosaic of the Caloris Basin
The largest basin on Mercury (1300 km or 800 miles across) was named Caloris (Greek for "hot") because it is one of the two areas on the planet that face the Sun at perihelion.
The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged the region during its initial flyby of the planet.
The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission.
The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Voir l'image PIA03102: Mercury's Caloris Basin sur le site de la NASA.
These two prominent rayed craters are located at 40 degrees N, 124 degrees W. Bright halos extend as far as 2 crater diameters beyond crater rims. Individual rays extend from halo. Bright streak extending from middle top to lower is unrelated to the two craters. Craters are 40 km in diameter. This image (FDS 275) was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02429: Prominent Rayed Craters sur le site de la NASA.
This crater (98 km diameter) illustrates the narrow hummocky rim facies, radial ridges, and surrounding extensive field of secondary craters. The well-developed interior terraces and central peaks are typical for mercurian craters in this size range. Note that the smaller craters in the foreground (25-km diameter) also are terraced. This image (FDS 80) was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02420: Terraced Craters sur le site de la NASA.
This image of the northeastern quadrant of the Caloris basin shows the smooth hills and domes between the inner and outer scarps and the well-developed radial system east of the outer scarp. This image (FDS 193) was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02427: Northeastern Quadrant of the Caloris Basin sur le site de la NASA.
During its second encounter with Mercury on September 21, 1974, Mariner 10 took this picture (FDS 166673) of the planet's South Polar Region from a range of 57,300 kilometers (35,525 miles). The picture covers an area 480 by 370 kilometers (300 by 230 miles) and its center is located at 65 degrees S. latitude and 135 degrees W. longitude. Many of the craters have denuded rims peppered by smaller craters. Formation of the young crater at the bottom center caused a debris flow out onto the floor of the large crater. Many small craters cover the inter-crater plains. North is toward the upper left.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02944: Small Craters Peppering South Polar Region sur le site de la NASA.
A dark, smooth, relatively uncratered area on Mercury was photographed (FDS 226) two hours after Mariner 10 flew by the planet on March 29 from a range of 86,000 kilometers (54,000 miles). Above and to the left of center is a surface similar to the main material of Earth's moon. It embays and covers rougher, older, heavily cratered topography like that, which can be seen in both upper corners of this picture. The history of heavy cratering seems to be followed by volcanic filling, similar to the process on the Moon. The prominent, sharp crater with a central peak (center) is 30 kilometers (19 miles) across. It is located on the upper left edge of a very bright surface area. The bright crater, to its right is 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter. The sun is from the right.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02412: Uncratered Area on Mercury sur le site de la NASA.
A field of bright rays--created by ejecta from a crater--radiating to the north (top) from off camera (lower right) is seen in this view of Mercury taken September 21 by Mariner 10. Source of the rays is a large new crater to the south, near Mercury's South Pole. Mariner 10 was about 48,000 kilometers (30,000 miles) from Mercury when the picture (FDS 166749) was taken at 2:01 p.m. PDT, just three minutes after the spacecraft was closest to the planet. Largest crater in this picture is 100 kilometers (62 miles) in diameter.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02938: Field of Bright Rays sur le site de la NASA.
After passing Mercury the first time and making a trip around the Sun, Mariner 10 again flew by Mercury on September 21 at 1:59 PMPDT. This encounter brought the spacecraft in front of Mercury in the southern hemisphere.
In this frame south is down, the south pole is located on the right hand edge of the large crater that has only its rim sticking up into the light (Chao Meng Fu crater). When this frame (FDS 166902) was acquired Mariner 10 was about 83,000 km from Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02415: Mercury's South Pole sur le site de la NASA.
A scarp, or cliff, more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) long extends diagonally from upper left to lower right in this Mariner 10 picture (FDS 166842) of Mercury taken on September 21. Numerous similar structures have been discovered by Mariner 10 during the television sequences on the spacecraft's second flyby of the planet. These structures are believed to be formed by the compressive forces due to crustal shortening. The picture was taken from 64,500 kilometers (40,000 miles).
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02943: 300 Kilometer Long Scarp sur le site de la NASA.
A faint double ring crater is seen at upper right in this picture of Mercury (FDS 166601) taken one hour and 40 minutes before Mariner 10's second rendezvous with the planet September 21. Located 35 degrees S. Lat. The outer ring is 170 kilometers (10 miles) across. Double ring craters are common features on Mercury. This particular feature and the bright rayed crater to its left were seen from a different viewing angle in pictures taken by Mariner 10 during its first Mercury flyby last March 29.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02936: Double Ring Craters sur le site de la NASA.
Mercury: Computer Photomosaic of the Southern Hemisphere
The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged the region during its initial flyby of the planet.
The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission.
The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Voir l'image PIA03101: Mercury's Southern Hemisphere sur le site de la NASA.
This computer generated photomosaic from Mariner 10 is of Mercury's Tolstoj Quadrangle, named for the ancient Tolstoj crater located in the lower center of the image. This quadrangle covers the geographic region from 25 degrees south to 25 degrees north latitude and from 144 to 216 degrees longitude. The photomosaic was produced using computer techniques and software developed in the Image Processing Laboratory of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The pictures have been high-pass filtered and contrast enhanced to accentuate surface detail, and geometrically transformed into a Mercator conformal projection.
The extensive areas of smooth surfaces or plains depicted in this mosaic have been classified into three types. The most widespread type forms a level to gently rolling ground between and around large craters and basins, and characterized by an extremely high density of superimposed small craters. A second type, "hummocky" plains, occurs within a broad ring that is 600 to 800 kilometers wide and circumscribes the Caloris Planitia (in the upper left corner of the image). These plains consist of low, closely spaced to scattered hills. "Smooth" plains are the third type and form relatively level tracts with a very low population of craters, both within and external to the basins.
The above material was taken from the following publication... Davies, M. E., S. E. Dwornik, D. E. Gault, and R. G. Strom, Atlas of Mercury, NASA SP-423 (1978).
The Mariner 10 mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science.
Voir l'image PIA00068: Mercury: Photomosaic of the Tolstoj Quadrangle H-8 sur le site de la NASA.
This image (FDS 166), acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury, features a 140 kilometer diameter crater and its surrounding zone of secondary craters. The narrow width of the rim facies, the prominent subradial secondary crater chains, and grooves are representative of the larger mercurian craters.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02424: Large Mercurian Crater sur le site de la NASA.
This computer generated photomosaic from Mariner 10 is of the northern half of Mercury's Shakespeare Quadrangle, named for the ancient Shakespeare crater located on the lower edge to the left of center. This portion of the quadrangle covers the geographic region from 45 to 70 degrees north latitude and from 90 to 180 degrees longitude. The photomosaic was produced using computer techniques and software developed in the Image Processing Laboratory of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The pictures have been high-pass filtered and contrast enhanced to accentuate surface detail, and geometrically transformed into a Lambert conformal projection.
The illuminated surface observed by Mariner 10 as it first approached Mercury is dominated by craters and basins. In marked contrast to this view, the surface photographed after the flyby exhibited features totally different, including large basins and extensive relatively smooth areas with few craters. The most striking feature in this region of the planet is a huge circular basin, 1300 kilometers in diameter, that was undoubtedly produced from a tremendous impact comparable to the event that formed the Imbrium basin on the Moon. This prominent Mercurian structure in the Shakespeare and Tolstoj quadrangles (lower left corner of this image), named Caloris Planitia, is filled with material forming a smooth surface or plain that appears similar in many respects to the lunar maria.
The above material was taken from the following publication... Davies, M. E., S. E. Dwornik, D. E. Gault, and R. G. Strom, Atlas of Mercury, NASA SP-423 (1978).
The Mariner 10 mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science.
Voir l'image PIA00066: Mercury: Photomosaic of the Shakespeare Quadrangle (Northern Half) H-3 sur le site de la NASA.
The craters in this image (128 km diameter and 195 km diameter) have interior rings of mountains and ejecta deposits which are scarred by deep secondary crater chain groves. This image (FDS 150)was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02423: Crater Chain Groves Inside Larger Craters sur le site de la NASA.
A limping Mariner 10 spacecraft was coaxed into a third and final encounter with Mercury in March of 1975. Due to several problems with the aging spacecraft, only ~450 useful images of the planet were acquired, though many are at significantly higher resolution than previous encounters. This is one of the highest resolution images of Mercury acquired by Mariner 10: Frame 528922, ~90 m/pixel.
The vertical (tall narrow) format of the third encounter images resulted from problems with the tape recorder and transmitter on the spacecraft. Only the middle quarter of each frame could be sent back.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02416: High Resolution View of Mercury sur le site de la NASA.
One of Mariner 10's two TV cameras took this picture (FDS 166614) of a densely cratered region of Mercury at 12:39 p.m. PDT, September 21, 1974, 80 minutes prior to the spacecraft's second close encounter with the planet. Taken from a range of about 76,000 kilometers (47,000 miles) the picture shows a scarp, or cliff, two kilometers (7500 feet) above the surrounding area and is part of a larger system of faults which extends for hundreds of kilometers. Mariner 10, which mapped about one-quarter of Mercury's surface last March, is the first spacecraft to return to its target planet.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02940: Densely Cratered Region sur le site de la NASA.
Intercrater plains and heavily cratered terrain typical of much of Mercury outside the area affected by the formation of the Caloris basin are shown in this image (FDS 166738) taken during the spacecraft's second encounter with Mercury. Abundant shallow elongate craters and crater chains are present on the intercrater plains. North is to the top of this image, centered at 56 degrees S, 128 degrees W and 400 kilometers across.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02947: Intercrater Plains and Heavily Cratered Terrain sur le site de la NASA.
H-1 Computer Photomosaic of the Borealis Area of Mercury The Borealis Region, located in Mercury's northern hemisphere, was imaged by the Mariner 10 spacecraft during its initial approach to the planet. The north pole is visible at the top of the image. The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The images used to construct the Borealis photomosaic were taken during Mariner's flyby of Mercury. The Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took 7,000 images of during its mission. The Mariner 10 mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science.
Voir l'image PIA02243: Mercury: Photomosaic of Borealis Quadrangle H-1 sur le site de la NASA.
The Mariner 10 Television-Science Team has proposed the name "Kuiper" for this very conspicuous bright Mercury crater (top center) on the rim of a larger older crater. Prof. Gerard P. Kuiper, a pioneer in planetary astronomy and a member of the Mariner 10 TV team, died December 23, 1973, while the spacecraft was enroute to Venus and Mercury. Mariner took this picture (FDS 27304) from 88,450 kilometers (55,000 miles) some 2 1/2 hours before it passed Mercury on March 29. The bright-floored crater, 41 kilometers (25 miles) in diameter, is the center of a very large bright are which could be seen in pictures sent from Mariner 10 while Mercury was more than two million miles distant. The larger crater is 80 kilometers (50 miles) across.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02411: Kuiper Crater sur le site de la NASA.
This double ring basin (top center of image), 220 km in diameter centered at 18 degrees S, 52 degrees W, was photographed on the second encounter and shows two craters about 30 km in diameter which have been engulfed by smooth plains on the floor of the inner ring. This stratigraphic relationship is common in the lunar maria and suggests that the plains within the inner ring were emplaced by volcanic processes after basin formation (FDS 166649).
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02949: Small Craters Engulfed by Smooth Plains sur le site de la NASA.
This mosaic shows the planet Mercury as seen by Mariner 10 as it sped away from the planet on March 29, 1974. The mosaic was made from over 140 individual TV frames taken about two hours after encounter, at a range of 37,300 miles (60,000 kilometers). North is at top. The limb is at right, as is the illuminating sunlight. The equator crosses the planet about two-thirds of the way from the top of the disc. The terminator, line-separating day from night, is about 190 degrees west longitude. The planet shows a gibbous disc-more than half-illuminated. This hemisphere is dominated by smooth plains, rather than heavily cratered terrain, and resembles portions of the Moon's maria in general shape. Half of a very large, multi-ringed basin named Caloris Basin appears near the center of the disc near the terminator. Its surrounding mountain ring is 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) in diameter.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02418: Outgoing Hemisphere sur le site de la NASA.
The Kuiper Quadrangle was named in memory of Dr. Gerard Kuiper, a Mariner 10 Venus/Mercury imaging team member and well-known astronomer, who passed away several months before the spacecraft's arrival at Mercury. The Kuiper crater, located left of center, is the brightest and perhaps youngest crater is 60 km in diameter located at -11 degrees latitude and 31 degrees longitude.
The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The images used to construct the Kuiper Quadrangle were taken during Mariner's first and third flybys of Mercury.
The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission. The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Voir l'image PIA02236: Mercury: Photomosaic of the Kuiper Quadrangle H-6 sur le site de la NASA.
A fresh new crater in the center of an older crater basin is shown in this picture (FDS27459) of the surface of Mercury taken March 29, by Mariner 10. The newer crater (almost centered in the photo) is about 12 kilometers (7 1/2 miles) across. The picture, which covers an area 130 by 170 kilometers (90 by 105 miles), was taken from a distance of about 20,700 kilometers (12,860 miles) a half-hour before Mariner 10 made its closest flyby of Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02409: Fresh Crater in Center of Older Crater Basin sur le site de la NASA.
As Mariner 10 approached Mercury at nearly seven miles per second on March 29, it's TV camera took this picture (FDS 27371) from an altitude of 35,000 kilometers (21,700 miles) The picture shows a heavily-cratered surface with many low hills. The large valley to the right is seven kilometers (4 1/2 miles) wide and more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) long. The large flat-floored crater near the right is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) in diameter.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02407: Mercury's Heavily Cratered Surface sur le site de la NASA.
Mercury: Computer Photomosaic of the Beethoven Quadrangle, H-7 The Beethoven Quadrangle, named for the 19th century classical German composer, lies in Mercury's Equatorial Mercator located between longitude 740 to 1440. The Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged the region during its initial flyby of the planet. The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The images used to construct the Beethoven Quadrangle were taken as Mariner 10 flew passed Mercury. The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission. The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Voir l'image PIA02255: Mercury: Beethoven Quadrangle, H-7 sur le site de la NASA.
A scarp (upper left corner of the image) about 130 kilometers long cuts two craters (older crater is at extreme left corner, younger is diagonally below). The northwest rim of the younger crater (65 kilometers in diameter) has been offset about 10 kilometers by the scarp. This offset appears to have been caused by shortening of the crater due to thrusting of the eastern part of the crater over the western part. (See PIA02434for high resolution image of this crater rim offset.)
This image (FDS 27380) was acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02432: Crater Rim Offset 10 kilometers by Scarp sur le site de la NASA.
The scarp in this 35-kilometer crater (See PIA02433 for the location in a larger view) forms a broad lobe 10 kilometers wide, whose southern end abuts against and follows closely the irregular contour of the crater wall. These structural relations suggest the scarp is a flow front rather than a fault.
This image (FDS 27471) was taken by Mariner 10 during its first encounter with Mercury,
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02447: Scarps Confined to Crater Floors - High Resolution sur le site de la NASA.
Updated calibration and subsequent mosaicing have led to substantial improvements in the Mariner 10 color image data.
This color composite was formed to especially highlight differences in opaque minerals (such as ilmenite), Iron content, and soil maturity.
K - crater Kuiper shows color consistent with fresh material excavated from a subsurface unit that may have an unusual compositionD - relatively dark and blue unit consistent with enhanced titanium contentB - bright red unit that may represent primitive crustal materialF - color unit that follows plains boundaries, interpreted as lava flow
The Mariner 10 mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02440: Incoming Hemisphere - Enhanced Color sur le site de la NASA.
This crater (74 km diameter) just north of the Caloris Planitia displays interior and central peaks rising up from a hilly floor. The continuous ejecta deposits and secondary crater field are well defined. This image (FDS 79) was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02419: Interior Peaks and Hilly Floored Crater sur le site de la NASA.
The Michelangelo Quadrangle, which lies in Mercury's southern polar region, was named in memory of the famous Italian artist. The Mercurian surface is heavily marred by numerous impact craters. Ejecta deposits, seen as bright lines or rays, radiate outward from the point of impact, along the planet's surface indicating the source craters are young topographical features. The rays found on Mercury are similar to ones found on the surface of Earth's moon.
Several large lobate scarps, steep and long escarpments which usually show a largely lobate outline on a scale of a few to tens of kilometers, are clearly visible in the lower left side of the image slicing through a variety of terrains including several large impact craters.
The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The images used to construct the Michelangelo Quadrangle were taken during Mariner 10's second flyby of Mercury.
The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission.
The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Voir l'image PIA02237: Mercury: Photomosaic of the Michelangelo Quadrangle H-12 sur le site de la NASA.
Old basin, 190 km in diameter, filled by smooth plains at 43 degrees S, 55 degrees W. The basin's hummocky rim is partly degraded and cratered by later events. Mariner 10 frame 166607.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02948: Old Basin Filled by Smooth Plains sur le site de la NASA.
As Mariner 10 passed by Mercury on its second encounter with the planet on September 21, 1974, this picture (FDS 166850) of a large circular (350 kilometer, 220 mile diameter) basin was obtained near the morning terminator. The basin appears to have been flooded with the plain material and then subsequently cratered by numerous large events. Filling of the basin, presumably by lava flows analogous to those of the lunar maria, partially inundated small craters which had formed along the basin rim (lower left) and in some places overflowed the basin rim and spilled onto the surrounding terrain (top).
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02946: Large Circular Basin Flooded and then Cratered sur le site de la NASA.
Mariner 10 took this picture (FDS 27465) of the densely cratered surface of Mercury when the spacecraft was 18,200 kilometers (8085 miles) from the planet on March 29. The dark line across top of picture is a "dropout" of a few TV lines of data. At lower left, a portion of a 61 kilometer (38 mile) crater shows a flow front extending across the crater floor and filling more than half of the crater. The smaller, fresh crater at center is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter. Craters as small as one kilometer (about one-half mile) across are visible in the picture.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02410: Mercury's Densely Cratered Surface sur le site de la NASA.
A limping Mariner 10 spacecraft was coaxed into a third and final encounter with Mercury in March of 1975. Due to several problems with the aging spacecraft, only ~450 useful images of the planet were acquired, though many are at significantly higher resolution than previous encounters.
In this high resolution image (FDS 528884) the sun is low to the horizon thus enhancing topographic features with prominent shadows. As can be seen here, the surface of Mercury is heavily cratered similar to the Moon.
The prominent scarp that snakes up the image was named Discovery Rupes. Like Hero Rupes, this feature is thought to have been formed as the planet compressed, possibly caused by cooling of the planet.
The vertical (tall narrow) format of the third encounter images resulted from problems with the tape recorder and transmitter on the spacecraft. Only the middle quarter of each frame could be sent back.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02417: Discovery Rupes Scarp sur le site de la NASA.
Mercury's south pole was photographed by one of Mariner 10's TV cameras as the spacecraft made its second close flyby of the planet September 21. The pole is located inside the large crater (180 kilometers, 110 miles) on Mercury's limb (lower center). The crater floor is shadowed and its far rim, illuminated by the sun, appears to de disconnected from the edge of the planet. Just above and to the right of the South Pole is a double ring basin about 100 kilometers (125 miles) in diameter. A bright ray system, splashed out of a 50 kilometer (30 mile) crater is seen at upper right. The stripe across the top is an artifact introduced during computer processing. The picture (FDS 166902) was taken from a distance of 85,800 kilometers (53,200 miles) less than two hours after Mariner 10 reached its closest point to the planet.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02941: Mercury's South Pole sur le site de la NASA.
This image (FDS 126), acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury, includes part of the floor of the Caloris basin showing the ridges and fractures. Notice that the length and the width if the fractures increase toward the center of the basin (lower right to upper left) and that the fractures transect the ridges at various angles. The two irregular depressions at the right edge of the image near the center are rimless and apparently collapse structures rather than impact craters.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02422: Ridges and Fractures on Floor of Caloris Basin sur le site de la NASA.
Young craters (the largest of which is about 100 kilometers in diameter) superposed on smooth plains. Larger young craters have central peaks, flat floors, terraced walls, radial ejecta deposits, and surrounding fields of secondary craters. Smooth plains have well-developed ridges extending NW and NE. This image (FDS 167), acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury, is located approximately 60 degrees N, 175 degrees W.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02425: Young Craters on Smooth Plains sur le site de la NASA.
This computer generated photomosaic from Mariner 10 is of the southern half of Mercury's Shakespeare Quadrangle, named for the ancient Shakespeare crater located on the upper edge to the left of center. This portion of the quadrangle covers the geographic region from 20 to 45 degrees north latitude and from 90 to 180 degrees longitude. The photomosaic was produced using computer techniques and software developed in the Image Processing Laboratory of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The pictures have been high-pass filtered and contrast enhanced to accentuate surface detail, and geometrically transformed into a Lambert conformal projection.
Well defined bright streaks or ray systems radiating away from craters constitute another distinctive feature of the Mercurian surface, remarkably similar to the Moon. The rays cut across and are superimposed on all other surface features, indicating that the source craters are the youngest topographic features on the surface of Mercury.
The above material was taken from the following publication... Davies, M. E., S. E. Dwornik, D. E. Gault, and R. G. Strom, Atlas of Mercury,NASA SP-423 (1978).
The Mariner 10 mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science.
Voir l'image PIA00067: Mercury: Photomosaic of the Shakespeare Quadrangle of Mercury (Southern Half) H-3 sur le site de la NASA.
One of the most prominent lobate scarps (Discovery Scarp), photographed by Mariner 10 during it's first encounter with Mercury, is located at the center of this image (extending from the top to near bottom). This scarp is about 350 kilometers long and transects two craters 35 and 55 kilometers in diameter. The maximum height of the scarp south of the 55-kilometer crater is about 3 kilometers. Notice the shallow older crater (near the center of the image) perched on the crest of the scarp. (FDS 17389 and 27399)
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02446: Discovery Scarp sur le site de la NASA.
Close-up view of one-half of a 1300-km diameter circular basin the largest observed on Mercury. The other half is hidden beyond the terminator to the left. Hills and valleys extend in a radial fashion outward from the main ring. Interior of the large basin is completely flooded by plains materials; adjacent lowlands are also partially flooded and superimposed on the plains are bowl shaped craters. Wrinkle ridges are abundant on the plains materials. The area shown is 1008 miles (1600 km) from the top to the bottom of the picture. Sun's illumination is from the right. Blurred linear lines extending across the picture near bottom are missing data lines that have been filled in by the computer. Mariner 10 encountered Mercury on Friday, March 29th, 1974, passing the planet on the darkside 431 miles (690-km) from the surface.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
NOTE: This image was scanned from physical media.
Voir l'image PIA02962: Large Circular Basin - 1300-km diameter sur le site de la NASA.
High-resolution picture of a 65-kilometer diameter crater and the scarp transecting its floor (lower left corner of this image). The scarp has a slightly terraced appearance which may be individual fault planes compromising an imbricate thrust fault.(See PIA02432 for another image of this scarp and crater.)
This image (FDS 27464) was acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02434: Crater Rim Offset 10 kilometers by Scarp-High Resolution sur le site de la NASA.
This picture shows several scarps, which appear to be confined to crater floors.
The scarp in the crater at the upper left of the image has been diverted by the central peaks, suggesting it may be a flow front. However, a dark line on the interior eastern wall appears to join the floor scarp, and if they are related, the scarp probably has a tectonic origin.
Two scarps occur on the floor of a 90-kilometer diameter crater at the top right of the image. The materials behind the uppermost scarp has a different texture than the rest of the floor and appears to mantle the other scarp.
The scarp in the 35-kilometer at the center of the image consists of a broad lobe 10 km wide. (See PIA02447for a higher resolution view)
This image (FDS 27428) was acquired during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02433: Scarps Confined to Crater Floors sur le site de la NASA.
Cratered terrain very similar to that on the Moon is portrayed in this TV photo (FDS 27431) of Mercury taken by Mariner 10 on March 29 from a range of 31,000 kilometers (19,300 miles). The large flat-floored crater at right is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) in diameter-about the same size as the lunar crater Copernicus. Numerous small craters and linear grooves radial to the crater probably are ejecta thrown from the crater by impact. The surface is illuminated from the left.
The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.
Voir l'image PIA02408: Mercury's Cratered Terrain sur le site de la NASA.