New Year Mars Panorama
Explanation:
According to an
Earth-based calendar, the Spirit rover spent
the first day of 2006 gathering data to complete
this panoramic view
from Gusev crater on Mars.
That day corresponded to Spirit's 710th
Martian day or sol on the Red Planet.
Scrolling right the view spans 160 degrees, looking up a slope
and across rippled sand deposits in a dark field dubbed "El Dorado".
The Spirit rover
is traveling in
a down hill direction after reaching the summit of
Husband Hill.
This month, both Spirit and Opportunity rovers will celebrate
two years of Mars exploration, a remarkable achievement
considering their original
90 day warranty.
During that time Spirit has traveled over 3.5 miles and Opportunity
over 4 miles across
the
Martian surface.
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.
