PIA05345: Draped in the Rover's Shadow


Draped in the Rover’s Shadow

Caption:

This movie was compiled from a series of 10 images taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's front hazard-avoidance camera. The images were taken at 10-minute intervals on February 21, 2004 at the trenching site dubbed "Laguna Hollow." Between the first and second images, the head of the panoramic camera mast assembly can be seen preparing to take miniature thermal emission spectrometer measurements. The spectrometer focused on a designated spot approximately 3 meters (9.8 feet) from the center of rover for 90 minutes, measuring the cooling effect caused by sunlight turning to shade. By observing the rate at which the material at this site cooled, scientists will be able to characterize its physical properties. This site provided a unique opportunity to compare the subsurface material exposed by the trenching activity with the surface material affected by the shadow experiment.

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 Grayscale, Movie, Shadow, Thermal
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2004-02-24
Date in Caption 2004-02-21
Image Credit NASA/JPL
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05345
Identifier PIA05345