Sol 5 Postcard from Mars
Explanation:
A
martian
Sol - the average martian
solar day - is
about 39 minutes longer than Earth's familiar 24 hour day.
Operating
on martian time, the Spirit rover recently
sent back
this color postcard image,
recorded on Sol 5 of its stay on the martian surface.
This cropped version of the full, high-resolution mosaic looks
north across Gusev crater floor.
The smooth-looking, 9 meter wide circular feature dubbed
Sleepy Hollow
lies at the center of the scene.
Within it are round dark markings which may have been left by
the lander
swaddled in airbags as it
bounced across the martian
surface.
Other examples of disturbances, likely made by the lander's
retracting
airbags, can be seen in the foreground just beyond
Spirit's solar cell covered deck.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
