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Spirit Rises to the Occasion
PIA05031
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Spirit Rises to the Occasion (Animation) |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation strings together images from the rover's front hazard avoidance camera taken during the stand-up process of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. The first frame shows the rover's wheels tucked under in pre-stand-up position. The following frames show the stages of the stand-up process. The rover first elevates itself and unfolds the wheels. It then lowers, lifts and lowers again into its final position. Note the changing camera perspectives of the martian landscape, indicating the rover's heightened and lowered positions. |
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Cutting the Cord-2
PIA05052
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Cutting the Cord-2 |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation shows the view from the rear hazard avoidance cameras on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as the rover turns 45 degrees clockwise. This maneuver is the first step in a 3-point turn that will rotate the rover 115 degrees to face west. The rover must make this turn before rolling off the lander because airbags are blocking it from exiting from the front lander petal. Before this crucial turn took place, engineers instructed the rover to cut the final cord linking it to the lander. The turn took around 30 minutes to complete. |
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Cutting the Cord
PIA05051
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Cutting the Cord |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation shows the view from the front hazard avoidance cameras on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as the rover turns 45 degrees clockwise. This maneuver is the first step in a 3-point turn that will rotate the rover 115 degrees to face west. The rover must make this turn before rolling off the lander because airbags are blocking it from exiting off the front lander petal. Before this crucial turn could take place, engineers instructed the rover to cut the final cord linking it to the lander. The turn took around 30 minutes to complete. |
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Continuing the Turn
PIA05068
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Continuing the Turn |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation shows the view from the front hazard avoidance cameras on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as the rover turns 95 degrees clockwise. This maneuver shows the first and second steps in a 3-point turn that will rotate the rover 115 degrees to face west (the first step previously shown in PIA05051 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05051 ]). The rover must make this turn before rolling off the lander because airbags are blocking it from exiting off the front lander petal. Before starting this maneuver, engineers instructed the rover to cut the final cord linking it to the lander. |
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Continuing the Turn-2
PIA05088
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Continuing the Turn-2 |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation shows the view from the rear hazard avoidance cameras on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as the rover turns 95 degrees clockwise. This maneuver shows the first and second steps in a 3-point turn that will rotate the rover 115 degrees to face west (the first step previously shown in PIA05052 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05052 ]) . The rover must make this turn before rolling off the lander because airbags are blocking it from exiting from the front lander petal. Before starting this maneuver, engineers instructed the rover to cut the final cord linking it to the lander. |
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Rover Family Portrait
title |
Rover Family Portrait |
date |
12.05.2002 |
description |
Marie Curie, the backup for the 1997 Mars Sojourner rover, sits next to a next-generation Mars Exploration Rover in this December 2002 photo. Sojourner went to Mars as part of the Pathfinder mission, which laid the groundwork for the more advanced Mars Exploration Rovers. *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL |
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Cape Verde, Mars
This Mars Exploration Rover
4/1/08
Description |
This Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Pancam "super resolution" mosaic of the approximately 6 meter (20 foot) high cliff face of the Cape Verde promontory was taken by the rover from inside Victoria Crater, during the rover's descent into Duck Bay. Super-resolution is an imaging technique that utilizes information from multiple pictures of the same target in order to generate an image with a higher resolution than any of the individual images. Cape Verde is a geologically rich outcrop and is teaching scientists about how rocks at Victoria crater were modified since they were deposited long ago. This image complements super resolution mosaics obtained at Cape St. Mary and Cape St. Vincent and is consistent with the hypothesis that Victoria crater is located in the middle of what used to be an ancient sand dune field. This image was acquired on sols 1342 and 1356 (Nov. 2 and 17, 2007). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University |
Date |
4/1/08 |
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Rock Garden
This image of a cluster of r
01/04/10
Description |
This image of a cluster of rocks labeled 'Rock Garden' is where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit became embedded in April 2009. The Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed on the Red Planet in January 2004 for what was to be a 90-day mission, but which has lasted 6 Earth years, or 3.2 Mars years. During this time, Spirit has found evidence of a steamy and violent environment on ancient Mars that is quite different from the wet and acidic past documented by Opportunity, which has been operating successfully as it explores halfway around the planet. Spirit used its navigation camera to capture this view of the terrain toward the southeast from the location it reached on the 1,870th Martian day, or sol, on April 7, 2009. Wheels on the western side of the rover broke through the dark, crusty surface into bright, loose, sandy material that was not visible as the rover approached the site. Spirit became stuck in an area near the left of the image's center later in April. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech |
Date |
01/04/10 |
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In the Far East
PIA05061
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
Title |
In the Far East |
Original Caption Released with Image |
"" Click on the image for In the Far East (QTVR) In the distance stand the east hills, which are closest to the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in comparison to other hill ranges seen on the martian horizon. The top of the east hills are approximately 2 to 3 kilometers (1 to 2 miles) away from the rover's approximate location. This image was taken on Mars by the rover's panoramic camera. |
|
Size Comparison, Mars Scienc
title |
Size Comparison, Mars Science Laboratory and Mars Exploration Rover |
description |
An artist's concept of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (left) serves to compare it with Spirit, one of NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers. Mars Science Laboratory is in development for a launch opportunity in 2009, a landing on Mars in 2010 and investigation of that planet's past or present ability to sustain microbial life. The images of Spirit and the more advanced rover are both superimposed by special effects on a scene from Mars'"Columbia Hills," photographed by Spirit's panoramic camera on April 13, 2005, and presented here in false color (see Next Stop: Methuselah [PIA07855]). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech |
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Mars Exploration Rover Makes
PIA04820
Title |
Mars Exploration Rover Makes Progress |
Original Caption Released with Image |
One of two Mars Exploration Rovers sits inside its cruise stage waiting to undergo environmental testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In this photo, engineers are preparing the rover for vibration testing to ensure that it can undergo the rigors of launch and entry into the martian atmosphere. The rovers are scheduled to launch next spring and will arrive at Mars in January 2004. |
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Artist's Concept of Rover on
PIA04413
Title |
Artist's Concept of Rover on Mars |
Original Caption Released with Image |
An artist's concept portrays a NASA Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars. Two rovers have been built for 2003 launches and January 2004 arrival at two sites on Mars. Each rover has the mobility and toolkit to function as a robotic geologist. |
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Rover Tracks on Mars
title |
Rover Tracks on Mars |
description |
New imaging techniques enabled Mars Global Surveyor to capture the incredibly detailed images from orbit of the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover's tracks on the surface of Mars. The orbiter entered its third mission extension in September 2004 after seven years of orbiting Mars. The spacecraft entered Mars orbit on Sept. 12, 1997. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Mars Exploration Rover, Vert
PIA04928
Title |
Mars Exploration Rover, Vertical |
Original Caption Released with Image |
December 15, 2003 An artist's concept portrays a NASA Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars. Two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, will reach Mars in January 2004. Each has the mobility and toolkit to function as a robotic geologist. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for the NASA Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. |
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First Look Behind Spirit
PIA04981
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
First Look Behind Spirit |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This image taken by the hazard avoidance camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rover's rear lander petal and, in the background, the Martian horizon. Spirit took the picture right after successfully landing on the surface of Mars. |
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NASA KSNN - Mars Rovers
NASA Kids Science News segme
6/1/03
Description |
NASA Kids Science News segment explaining what the Mars Rover is and what it did. |
Date |
6/1/03 |
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Spirit Reaches for Closer Lo
PIA05089
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Spirit Reaches for Closer Look |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation, composed of four images taken by the front hazard-identification camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows the rover stretching out its robotic arm, or instrument deployment device. This is the first use of the arm on Mars to deploy the microscopic imager, one of four geological instruments located on the arm. The first frame shows a clear view of the martian surface in front of the rover before the arm was successfully deployed early Friday morning. The subsequent frames show the arm emerging from its stowed position beneath the "front porch" of the rover body, reaching out, and using the microscopic imager to take close-up images of the martian soil. |
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Rover Takes a Sunday Drive
PIA05099
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Rover Takes a Sunday Drive |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation, made with images from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit hazard-identification camera, shows the rover's perspective of its first post-egress drive on Mars Sunday. Engineers drove Spirit approximately 3 meters (10 feet) toward its first rock target, a football-sized, mountain-shaped rock called Adirondack. The drive took approximately 30 minutes to complete, including time stopped to take images. Spirit first made a series of arcing turns totaling approximately 1 meter (3 feet). It then turned in place and made a series of short, straightforward movements totaling approximately 2 meters (6.5 feet). |
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A Higher Opportunity
PIA05166
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
A Higher Opportunity |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation strings together images from the rover's front hazard-identification camera taken during the first half of the stand-up process of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The first frame shows the rover's wheels tucked under in pre-stand-up position. The following frames show the first two stages of the stand-up process, in which the rover elevates itself and unfolds the wheels. |
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Sojourner Rover View of Plat
PIA01139
Sol (our sun)
Rover Cameras
Title |
Sojourner Rover View of Platy Fragments near Pop-Tart |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Sojourner's excavations brought materials to the surface for examination and allowed estimates of the mechanical properties of the deposits. This image is of a 7 cm wide excavation through the veneer of a drift. The platy fragment or piece of crust (upper right) was displaced by the rover wheel. NOTE: original caption as published in Science Magazine Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). |
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Spirit on "Husband Hill," wi
title |
Spirit on "Husband Hill," with 2004 Comparison |
Description |
Two Earth years ago, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit touched down in Gusev Crater. The rover marked its first Mars-year (687 Earth days) anniversary in November 2005. On Nov. 2, 2005, shortly before Spirit's Martian anniversary, the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor acquired an image centered on the rover's location in the "Columbia Hills." The location of Spirit on that date is circled on the image on the right. On the left, for comparison, is an image from Jan. 10, 2004, when few dreamed that the Spirit would ever reach the hills from its landing site about three kilometers (two miles) away. The newer image has a resolution of about 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) per pixel. North is up, illumination is from the left. The location is near 14.8 degrees south latitude, 184.6 degrees west longitude. Dr. Timothy J. Parker of the Mars Exploration Rover team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., confirmed the location of the rover in the 2005 image. The scale bar is 50 meters (164 feet). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS |
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Rover Team
PIA04826
Title |
Rover Team |
Original Caption Released with Image |
December 5, 2002 Rover team members with Rover. |
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'Gibson' Panorama by Spirit
PIA02690
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
Title |
'Gibson' Panorama by Spirit at 'Home Plate' |
Original Caption Released with Image |
"" Click on the image for 'Gibson' Panorama by Spirit at 'Home Plate' (QTVR) NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired this high-resolution view of intricately layered exposures of rock while parked on the northwest edge of the bright, semi-circular feature known as "Home Plate." The rover was perched at a 27-degree upward tilt while creating the panorama, resulting in the "U" shape of the mosaic. In reality, the features along the 1-meter to 2-meter (1-foot to 6.5-foot) vertical exposure of the rim of Home Plate in this vicinity are relatively level. Rocks near the rover in this view, known as the "Gibson" panorama, include "Barnhill,""Rogan," and "Mackey." Spirit acquired 246 separate images of this scene using 6 different filters on the panoramic camera (Pancam) during the rover's Martian days, or sols, 748 through 751 (Feb. 9 through Feb. 12, 2006). The field of view covers 160 degrees of terrain around the rover. This image is an approximately true-color rendering using Pancam's 753-nanometer, 535-namometer, and 432-nanometer filters. Image-to-image seams have been eliminated from the sky portion of the mosaic to better simulate the vista a person standing on Mars would see. |
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95-degree Position on Mars
PIA05067
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
95-degree Position on Mars |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This image from the hazard avoidance camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rover in its near-final turned position on the lander at Gusev Crater. At this point, the rover has turned 95 degrees, with 115 degrees being its goal position. This picture looks remarkably similar to the image taken during a "dress rehearsal" at the JPL In-Situ Laboratory, or "testbed," prior to the maneuver on Mars. |
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X-ray Machine on Mars
PIA05196
Sol (our sun)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectro
Title |
X-ray Machine on Mars |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This image taken at Meridiani Planum, Mars by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (circular device in center), located on its instrument deployment device, or "arm." The image was acquired on the ninth martian day or sol of the rover's mission. |
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Spirit's Shadow
title |
Spirit's Shadow |
date |
02.22.2004 |
description |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit casts a shadow over the trench that the rover is examining with tools on its robotic arm. Spirit took this image with its front hazard-avoidance camera on Feb. 21, 2004, during the rover's 48th martian day, or sol. It dug the trench with its left front wheel the preceding sol. Plans call for Spirit to finish examining the trench on sol 50. *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL |
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Spirit's Route in Black and
PIA07088
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title |
Spirit's Route in Black and White |
Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Orbital Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft took this image of the topography traversed by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in months prior to the rover's 318th martian day (Dec. 4, 2004). The yellow line traces the rover's path up to and across the "West Spur" of the "Columbia Hills." |
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Spirit's View Beside 'Home P
NASA's Mars Exploration Rove
4/16/09
Description |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images that have been combined into this 180-degree view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,823rd Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's surface mission (Feb. 17, 2009). The center of the view is toward the south-southwest. The rover had driven 23 feet, or 7 meters, eastward earlier on Sol 1823, part of maneuvering to get Spirit into a favorable position for climbing onto the low plateau called 'Home Plate.' However, after two driving attempts with negligible progress during the following three sols, the rover team changed its strategy for getting to destinations south of Home Plate. The team decided to drive Spirit at least partway around Home Plate, instead of ascending the northern edge and taking a shorter route across the top of the plateau. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech |
Date |
4/16/09 |
|
Rover Team Decides: Safety F
PIA02399
Sol (our sun)
Navigation Camera
Title |
Rover Team Decides: Safety First |
Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit recorded this view while approaching the northwestern edge of "Home Plate," a circular plateau-like area of bright, layered outcrop material roughly 80 meters (260 feet) in diameter. The images combined into this mosaic were taken by Spirit's navigation camera during the rover's 746th, 748th and 750th Martian days, or sols (Feb. 7, 9 and 11, 2006). With Martian winter closing in, engineers and scientists working with NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit decided to play it safe for the time being rather than attempt to visit the far side of Home Plate in search of rock layers that might show evidence of a past watery environment. This feature has been one of the major milestones of the mission. Though it's conceivable that rock layers might be exposed on the opposite side, sunlight is diminishing on the rover's solar panels and team members chose not to travel in a counterclockwise direction that would take the rover to the west and south slopes of the plateau. Slopes in that direction are hidden from view and team members chose, following a long, thorough discussion, to have the rover travel clockwise and remain on north-facing slopes rather than risk sending the rover deeper into unknown terrain. In addition to studying numerous images from Spirit's cameras, team members studied three-dimensional models created with images from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Globel Surveyor orbiter. The models showed a valley on the southern side of Home Plate, the slopes of which might cause the rover's solar panels to lose power for unknown lengths of time. In addition, images from Spirit's cameras showed a nearby, talus-covered section of slope on the west side of Home Plate, rather than exposed rock layers scientists eventually hope to investigate. Home Plate has been on the rover's potential itinerary since the early days of the mission, when it stood out in images taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera shortly after the rover landed on Mars. Spirit arrived at Home Plate after traveling 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) across the plains of Gusev Crater, up the slopes of "West Spur" and "Husband Hill," and down again. Scientists are studying the origin of the layering in the outcrop using the Athena science instruments on the rover's arm. |
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Sojourner Rover Near Half Do
PIA01559
Sol (our sun)
Rover Cameras
Title |
Sojourner Rover Near Half Dome - Right Eye |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Sojourner Rover is seen traversing near Half Dome in this image, taken on Sol 59 by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The rover's Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is the cylindrical object extending from the back of the rover. This image and PIA01558 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01558 ](left eye) make up a stereo pair. Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). |
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Sojourner Rover Near Half Do
PIA01558
Sol (our sun)
Rover Cameras
Title |
Sojourner Rover Near Half Dome - Left Eye |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Sojourner Rover is seen traversing near Half Dome in this image, taken on Sol 59 by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The rover's Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is the cylindrical object extending from the back of the rover. This image and PIA01559 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01559 ](right eye) make up a stereo pair. Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). |
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Rover Rehearses Roll-Off at
PIA05087
Title |
Rover Rehearses Roll-Off at JPL |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Footage from the JPL In-Situ Instruments Laboratory, or "testbed," shows engineers rehearsing a crucial maneuver called egress in which the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit rolls off its lander platform and touches martian soil. Engineers at JPL used a test rover to perform this maneuver as if they were at the rover's landing site, Gusev Crater on Mars. Spirit successfully completed its roll-off early Thursday morning. |
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Preparing to Test Rover Mobi
PIA07894
Title |
Preparing to Test Rover Mobility |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Rover engineers prepare a mixture of sandy and powdery materials to simulate some difficult Mars driving conditions inside a facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The tests in early May 2005 were designed to help plan the best way for the rover Opportunity to drive off of a soft-sand dune that the rover dug itself into the previous week. |
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Rover 1 and Lander
PIA04416
Title |
Rover 1 and Lander |
Original Caption Released with Image |
A "Martian mechanic" checks beneath the completely deployed Rover 1 lander. Atop the lander is Rover 1 with its wheels and solar arrays in the stowed position. |
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Heat Shield Ahead
PIA07147
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
Title |
Heat Shield Ahead |
Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this image with its panoramic camera when the rover was about 130 meters (427 feet) from its heat shield, during the rover's 322nd sol (Dec. 19, 2004). The protective device shielded the rover from intense frictional heat as it entered the martian atmosphere. The heat shield was shed during the descent and landing sequence, just before the rover (within its folded lander) was lowered on a bridle. Scientists and engineers are interested in seeing what effects the descent had on the heat shield and are directing Opportunity to examine it. |
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Spirit Stuck in Soft Soil on
This view from the panoramic
11/2/09
Description |
This view from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the terrain surrounding the location called "Troy," where Spirit became embedded in soft soil during the spring of 2009. The hundreds of images combined into this view were taken beginning on the 1,906th Martian day (or sol) of Spirit's mission on Mars (May 14, 2009) and ending on Sol 1943 (June 20, 2009). Near the center of the image, in the distance, lies Husband Hill, where Spirit recorded views from the summit in 2005. For scale, the parallel tracks are about 1 meter (39 inches) apart. The track on the right is more evident because Spirit was driving backwards, dragging its right-front wheel, which no longer rotates. The bright soil in the center foreground is soft material in which Spirit became embedded after the wheels on that side cut through a darker top layer. The composition of different layers in the soil at the site became the subject of intense investigation by tools on Spirit's robotic arm. In recent weeks, Engineers have been using test rovers on Earth to prepare for extracting the sand-trapped Spirit rover. While amnesia-like symptoms in recent days might delay the start of planned drives by Spirit geared towards extricating it, the Mars Exploration Rover team remains hopeful. "If they are intermittent and infrequent, they are a nuisance that would set us back a day or two when they occur. If the condition becomes persistent or frequent, we will need to go to an alternate strategy that avoids depending on flash memory, " said Project Manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In these amnesia events, Spirit fails to record data from the day's activities onto the type of computer memory -- non-volatile "flash" memory -- that can retain the data when the rover powers down for its energy-conserving periods of "sleep." Spirit has worked on Mars for more than 69 months in what was originally planned as a three-month mission. |
Date |
11/2/09 |
|
Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
|
Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
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Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
|
Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
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Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
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Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
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Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
|
Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
|
Dust Spectra from Above and
PIA05030
Sol (our sun)
Miniature Thermal Emission S
Title |
Dust Spectra from Above and Below |
Original Caption Released with Image |
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the orbital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement. Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere. Rover Senses Silicates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature. Rover Senses Bound Water Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates. Rover Senses Carbonates Click on image for larger view This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - minerals common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface. |
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MRPS #81008 (Sol 4) Sojourne
Sojourner is visible in this
7/7/97
Date |
7/7/97 |
Description |
Sojourner is visible in this image, one of the first taken by the deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. The rover has moved from this position into one that later facilitated its using the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument on Barnacle Bill. The APXS, located at the rear of the rover, is not visible in this image. The image was taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) after its deployment on Sol 3. Mars Pathfinder was developed and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. |
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View in Front of Spirit
PIA04979
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
View in Front of Spirit |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This image taken by the hazard avoidance camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rover's front wheels in stowed configuration. |
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Spirit Stretches Out
PIA05040
Sol (our sun)
Hazard Identification Camera
Title |
Spirit Stretches Out |
Original Caption Released with Image |
This animation flips back and forth between images taken before and after deployment of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's bogie, a part of the rover's suspension system that extends the wheel base. These images were taken by Spirit's hazard avoidance camera. |
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Rover 2 Moved to Workstand
PIA04828
Title |
Rover 2 Moved to Workstand |
Original Caption Released with Image |
January 28, 2003 The Mars Exploration Rover -2 is moved to a workstand in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Set to launch in 2003, the Mars. Exploration Rover Mission will consist of two identical rovers designed to cover roughly 110 yards (100 meters) each Martian day. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars. The first rover has a launch window opening May 30, 2003, and the second rover a window opening June 25, 2003. |
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Sojourner On Mars
Title |
Sojourner On Mars |
Explanation |
The six wheeled robot rover Mars Sojourner [ http://mars.compuserve.com/ops/rover.html ] rolled onto the martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970705.html ] on July 5th (Sol 2) [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970706.html ] at about 10:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time. This image confirms that its descent down the lander's rear deployment ramp was successful. Click on the image to download a "movie gif" constructed from 9 images taken by the Sagan Memorial Station's IMP camera [ http://mars.compuserve.com/default.html ] which shows the rover rolling down the ramp! The rover moved only a short distance from the ramp and spent the night analyzing the martian soil [ http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/resources/ mars_data-information/mars_overview.html#Viking Lander sites ] with its Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer [ http://mars.compuserve.com/mpf/sci_desc.html#APXS ]. Its next destination will be a tantalizing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970528.html ] rock about 1 foot away that scientists have named "Barnacle Bill". A slow but steady off-road vehicle powered by a 1.9 square foot solar array, the rover can [ http://mars.compuserve.com/rover/sojourner.html ] negotiate obstacles tilted at a 45 degree angle and travels at less than half an inch per second or nearly 0.03 miles per hour. |
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