Soil on Mars can be a bit clumpy, as shown in this image of soil after it was compacted by one of the wheels of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Scientists think the light-colored material may be a global layer of airfall dust. Spirit's microscopic imager took this picture, showing an area approximately 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) square, during the rover's 314th martian day, or sol (Nov. 19, 2004).
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Exploration Rover (MER) | |
Instrument Host | Spirit (MER-A) | |
Host Type | Rover | |
Instrument | Microscopic Imager (MI) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Dust, Grayscale | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2004-11-30 | |
Date in Caption | 2004-11-19 | |
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07082 | |
Identifier | PIA07082 |