More to Mars than Rovers: New Olympus Mons Picture from Mars Express = WOW.

Space Daily ^ | February 13, 2004

[cogitator]

I've reduced the size of this to display nicely on FR: click it for the smallest of three versions. For larger versions (desktop suitable), go to the linked article.

You have to visually force the caldera to be a depression, not a bump, but it's a great image.

[cogitator]

Wouldn't it be fun to be the first person to stand here? (Fun, yes. Feasible...)

[cogitator]

** ping **

[KantianBurke]

Not if this creature were to be found in its lower depths.

[ElkGroveDan]

Wouldn't it be fun to hang glide off of some of those cliffs that probably dwarf anything on this planet?

[Crazieman]

I would love to hike around Valles Marineris

[cogitator]

Wouldn't it be fun to hang glide off of some of those cliffs that probably dwarf anything on this planet?

Yeah, but due to the tenuous nature of the Martian atmosphere, that glider had better have BIG wings!

[Dallas59]

Not to worry.

[kennedy]

LOL! That was quick work.

[RightWhale]

Is that a SAR image?

[ElkGroveDan]

Wouldn't it be fun to hang glide off of some of those cliffs that probably dwarf anything on this planet? Yeah, but due to the tenuous nature of the Martian atmosphere, that glider had better have BIG wings!

Agreed, but not as big as it might seem, since gravity is only 1/3 of the earth, so an average man would weigh 60 pounds.

[smiley]

...well hello there boys and girls...my name is Mickey! What's yours??.....

[cogitator]

Is that a SAR image?

No, it's visible, but the article indicates that it's 3-D enhanced with information from MOLA (I think; it was kind of hard to figure out from the text).

[Paul Ross]

I don't think its that hard to visualize the collapsed caldera, as the walls do obviously trail inward, rather than out. But it's difficult to perceive from this angle that this caldera is elevated drastically above the surrounding planetary surface...actually sitting atop the tallest known volcano in the solar system. We need an angle shot, rather than one from directly overhead.

[orionblamblam]

> Agreed, but not as big as it might seem, since gravity is only 1/3 of the earth...

Here's your problem... performance is based on speed, weight, air density, coefficients of lift and drag, and wing area. They are all linearfunctions, except for velocity, which is squared:
Lift = Wing Area * Cl * 1/2 * Rho V^2
For the same forward velocity on MArs, all else equal except gravity, you'd need 38% tthe same lift. So, a wing 38% the surface area. But... atmospheric pressure is about 7 millibars (1 barr being sea level on Earth), and an atmosphere of CO2 instead of nitrogran, so the denisty woudl be about 0.007 * 3/2 that of Earths, or about 0.0105 that of Earths... so divide that 38% size wing by 0.0105, and you'd need a wing 3619 % the size of one on Earth, for the same performance at the same weight and aerodynamics.

[Hunble]

Wouldn't it be fun to be the first person to stand here? (Fun, yes. Feasible...)

The view of the caldera would be lovely to see in person.

The actual slope of Olympus Mons is impossible to see from the surface. The slope of the volcano is less than the curvature of the planet, so it can only be viewed from space.

The lower edge of the volcano does suddenly rise about 1 km from the surface. Now that cliff would be exciting to view in person.

[Hunble]

Notice the lack of meteorite impact craters inside of the caldera.

This is important for the dating of it's most recent eruption.

[cogitator]

But it's difficult to perceive from this angle that this caldera is elevated drastically above the surrounding planetary surface...actually sitting atop the tallest known volcano in the solar system. We need an angle shot, rather than one from directly overhead.

Or a simulation like this:

and adding a bit of vertical exaggeration:

(What did we ever do before Google Image Search?)

[undeniable logic]

Do you hang-glide? I used to every weekend when I lived near Lookout Mountain in Georgia, but it has been a long time.

[Hunble]

Gawd, hang-gliding on Mars, off of the cliffs of Olympus Mons.

Now there is a fantasy to think about. I am not sure that it would be possible, but interesting to think about.

As I understand it, an aircraft's stall speed is above the speed of sound in Mar's atmosphere.

LOL, a supersonic hang-glider!

[Luke Skyfreeper]

How wide is the caldera? Anybody know? What kind of size are we looking at here?