PIA05173: An Intimate Look at a Martian Crater


An Intimate Look at a Martian Crater

Caption:

This 3-D contour map shows the martian crater currently cradling the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. It is the first look at the shape of a crater on another planet from the unique vantage point of inside the crater itself. Engineers and scientists will use this data to plot an exit route for Opportunity once it is ready to roll out of the crater; to characterize geological features of the crater; and to help pinpoint the rover's location on the surface of Mars. The crater is estimated to be 3 meters (9.8 feet) deep and 22 (72.2) meters across. The map consists of data from the rover's panoramic camera.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Instrument Host Opportunity (MER-B)
Host Type Rover
Instrument Panoramic Camera (Pancam)
Detector
Extra Keywords Color, Crater, Map
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2004-01-30
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Ohio State University
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05173
Identifier PIA05173