View of the Neukum Crater with its dune field
View of the Neukum Crater with its dune field
The HRSC, which is operated by DLR on board the Mars Express spacecraft, simultaneously records the surface of Mars in high resolution images, in 3D, with four colour filters in visible light (for blue, green and red), and in near infrared wavelengths. These contrast-enhanced true-colour images produced by the colour channels and the nadir channel oriented vertically onto the surface of Mars clearly show material differences in the planet's otherwise largely monotonous surface. Particularly striking are the dark dune field within the Neukum Crater and the light-coloured deposits to the west of the dune field on the crater floor. It is not yet clear how these deposits were formed.