PIA06687: Rock Outcrop Under Spirit's Wheels


Rock Outcrop Under Spirit’s Wheels

Caption:

After months of traveling across a cratered plain, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this image of a large, continuous rock outcrop at the base of the "Columbia Hills." The image was taken on sol 189 (July 15, 2004) with the rover's rear hazard-avoidance camera. Spirit's left rear wheel is visible in the image, along with rocks that have a somewhat layered appearnce.

The rover drove over this area backward on five wheels -- a new strategy that will conserve the rover's sixth, aging wheel for those times when it is needed most. Spirit is on its way to the north-facing slope of the hills, where it can look at rock outcrop in more detail, using more solar power.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Instrument Host Spirit (MER-A)
Host Type Rover
Instrument Hazard Camera (Hazcam)
Detector
Extra Keywords Crater, Grayscale
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2004-07-16
Date in Caption 2004-07-15
Image Credit NASA/JPL
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06687
Identifier PIA06687