DRY LAKEBED. A small basin (center foreground) lies below the southern rim of Melas Chasma, part of Valles Marineris. The basin likely holds ancient lakebed sediments, earning it a place on the list of potential landing sites for NASA's advanced Mars Science Laboratory rover. This view looks west down Melas Chasma; no vertical exaggeration. Click on the image for a higher-resolution (480K) version.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University, R. Luk