Posted on 04/29/2005 7:29:55 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - NASA's Mars rover Spirit looks out over red slopes, valleys, plains and its own wheel tracks in a new 360-degree panorama released by Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Friday.
The view from a point dubbed "Larry's Lookout" includes the summit of "Husband Hill," which Spirit has been climbing. The rover is about halfway up the hill and the summit is about 150 feet higher.
"Spirit and the rover team worked hard over many weeks to get to this vantage point along the flanks of Husband Hill," said Jim Bell, the lead scientist for the panoramic cameras on Spirit and its twin, Opportunity, which is exploring the other side of Mars.
The rovers have found evidence of past water activity on the Red Planet since landing in January 2004.
Spirit's uphill climb is giving scientists a chance to look for evidence of whether the intensity of water-related alteration of rocks increases with elevation or whether there are pockets of more heavily altered rocks and soils scattered throughout the hills.
The panorama was made from more than 300 individual frames taken between Feb. 27 and March 2, and transmitted to Earth over several weeks. NASA said the panorama is approximately true color.
Click Image for Rovers site
That's a pretty clear picture
04.28.05
Spirit has been getting a workout trying to climb the most difficult terrain encountered so far by the two rovers that landed on Mars in 2004. Like a hiker walking on loose scree, the rover's wheels began to slip near the top of the "Columbia Hills."
Normally, a rocky slope tilted 12 degrees to 15 degrees would pose little difficulty. The rovers usually perform well on rocky terrain. In this case, however, the rocks were 25 to 30 centimeters (10 to 12 inches) tall and interspersed with loose sand.
When a more direct ascent failed, rover drivers told Spirit to zigzag up the hill, much the way trailbuilders traverse from side to side to get up a slope.
"Even though we weren’t trying to drive directly up the slope, the wheels were digging in," said rover driver Chris Leger, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "We could see potato-size rocks that could get stuck in the wheels so we decided to look for another route."
As the rover backed down the slope, scientists discovered an interesting rock outcrop and decided to stop and take a closer look. For now, Spirit is camped on more level terrain. Scientists nicknamed the outcrop "Methuselah."
Eventually, they will seek an alternate approach to the top. "Our basic plan is to contour around to the west and southwest and see what we see," said Leger. "Older images show what looks like a ramp-shaped ledge leading up to the summit."
Spirit Approaches "Methuselah" Outcrop on Mars This false-color rendering shows the scene acquired by NASA's Spirit rover on martian day, or sol, 454 (April 13, 2005), using its panoramic camera filters at 750-, 530-, and 430-nanometer wavelengths. In the background is "Clark Hill," nicknamed for one of the Columbia astronauts. Spirit is looking down at the outcrop on the left, nicknamed "Methuselah," from a slightly higher position, and will spend some time studying the outcrop before searching for a different route. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell + Click for larger image
Man O Man,Great Post!
Longest 90 day mission on record!
Larger version:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20050429a/Spirit_Lookout_L256t-A413R1_br2.jpg
Thank you for the excellent post.
You're both most welcome. Thanks!
These little rovers are like Energizer Bunnies.
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Polly Popup's kinda 'spaced out' there!
Coast to Coast AM Ping....
I bet Richard Hoagland will be on stating this is proof of the cities on Mars.
Kinda makes you wanna go kick a few rocks while rollicking in the sand...
Now I have "Cities in Dust" in my head.
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