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Press Release Images: Opportunity
25-Mar-2004
 
Discovery Served Up in a Bowl
Discovery Served Up in a Bowl

This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera is an approximate true-color rendering of the exceptional rock called "Berry Bowl" in the "Eagle Crater" outcrop. The study of this "blueberry-strewn" area and the identification of hematite as the major iron-bearing element within these sphere-like grains helped scientists confirm their hypothesis that the hematite in these martian spherules was deposited in water. To separately analyze the mineralogical content of three main features within this area -- blueberries, dust and rock -- it was important that the rock abrasion tool's brush was able to rest on a relatively berry-free spot. The rock's small size and crowd of berries made the 10-minute brushing a challenge to plan and execute. The successful brushing on the target whimsically referred to as "Near Empty" on the rover's 48th sol on Mars left a dust-free impression for subsequent examination by the rover's spectrometers. No grinding was necessary on the rock because spectral data obtained on the dust-free surface were sufficient to verify that the rock's chemical composition differs significantly from the hematite-rich berries.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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A Well-Traveled 'Eagle Crater'
A Well-Traveled 'Eagle Crater'

This is the 3-D version of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's view on its 56th sol on Mars, before it left "Eagle Crater." To the right, the rover tracks are visible at the original spot where the rover attempted unsuccessfully to exit the crater. After a one-sol delay, Opportunity took another route to the plains of Meridiani Planum. This image was taken by the rover's navigation camera.

Image credit: NASA/JPL
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A Well-Traveled 'Eagle Crater' (left-eye)
A Well-Traveled 'Eagle Crater' (left-eye)

This is the left-eye version of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's view on its 56th sol on Mars, before it left its landing-site crater. To the right, the rover tracks are visible at the original spot where the rover attempted unsuccessfully to exit the crater. After a one-sol delay, Opportunity took another route to the plains of Meridiani Planum. This image was taken by the rover's navigation camera.

Image credit: NASA/JPL
Browse Image | Medium Image (442 kB) | Large (7.2 MB)
 
A Well-Traveled 'Eagle Crater' (right-eye)
A Well-Traveled 'Eagle Crater' (right-eye)

This is the right-eye version of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's view on its 56th sol on Mars, before it left its landing-site crater. To the right, the rover tracks are visible at the original spot where the rover attempted unsuccessfully to exit the crater. After a one-sol delay, Opportunity took another route to the plains of Meridiani Planum. This image was taken by the rover's navigation camera.

Image credit: NASA/JPL
Browse Image | Medium Image (442 kB) | Large (7 MB)

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