Indian Mars Probe Snaps Breathtaking Pics Of Ophir Chasma Canyon

India sent its first mission to Mars, dubbed the Mars Orbiter Mission, and the latest images that the orbiter has taken have now been returned to Earth for us to check out. The images are some high-resolution shots of a giant canyon on the surface of the Red Planet called the Ophir Chasma.

The images were shot on July 19 and have a resolution of 315 feet. The canyon is showed from above and from two different side views. Clearly seen in the images are hills, small impact craters, and gullies shaped by landslides on the surface of the planet.

Indian Space Research Organization officials said in a statement that the walls of the chasma have lots of layers and the floor contains large deposit of layered materials. NASA says that the location of the Ophir Chasma is in the northernmost connected valley in the Valles Marineris, which spans about 2,500 miles.

NASA believes that the cliffs visible in the photos were likely created by faults that crumbled over time due to landslides. The Indian MOM orbiter arrived at Mars in September 2014. The orbiter has also imaged Gale Crater and a large volcano on Mars called Tyrrhenus Mons.

SOURCE: Space.com