September 12, 2003 If you were given a chance to aim the camera
on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter and take a picture
of something on the red planet, what would you shoot? Now we
know, after NASA released today the first picture selected from
hundreds of public suggestions. The photo reveals a thick layer
of dust blanketing the floor and wall of the summit crater atop
a tall volcano called Pavonis Mons. "It's such a thrill to see
it," said U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Robert F. Sanders, of
Jacksonville, N.C., who suggested the crater close up as a photo
target for the Mars Global Surveyor camera. "I spent hours
coming up with suggestions, but I didn't know whether any of
them would be accepted." The resulting picture shows details as
small as a large SUV in a strip of ground about 9 kilometers
(5.6 miles) long within the summit crater of Pavonis Mons.
"We've received hundreds of really good ideas since we began
accepting public suggestions last month," said Dr. Ken Edgett,
staff scientist for Malin Spa