This map shows the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's past and future routes across the Gusev Crater floor. The solid red line shows where the rover has traveled so far, from lander to the rim of the large crater dubbed "Bonneville." The dotted red line indicates proposed future paths to the Columbia Hills. Rover team members have not yet decided which direction Spirit will travel across Bonneville's ejecta (the blanket of material expelled from it during formation) and toward the hills, as illustrated by the two diverging dotted lines. Along the way, Spirit will stop to investigate interesting targets, including craters and plain deposits. The journey to the hills is estimated to about two months, or 60 sols. The underlying image in this map was taken by the camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) | Mars Exploration Rover (MER) |
Instrument Host | Mars Global Surveyor | Spirit (MER-A) |
Host Type | Orbiter | Rover |
Instrument | Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Color, Crater, Map | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2004-03-26 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/MSSS/New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05639 | |
Identifier | PIA05639 |