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Press Release Images: Spirit
17-Feb-2004
Opportunity Digs; Spirit Advances
Full Press Release
 
Spirit Keeps Rollin'
Spirit Keeps Rollin'

This 360-degree mosaic panorama image, taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, includes a view of the lander. The lander is located to the south-southwest of the rover, which is moving toward a crater nicknamed "Bonneville. Sleepy Hollow can be seen to the right of the lander. As of Sol 44, which ended on February 17, 2004, the rover had moved a total of 106.6 meters (350 feet) since leaving the lander on January 15, 2004. This image was taken on Sol 39 (February 11, 2004).

Image credit: NASA/JPL
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Spirit Spies 'Bonneville'
Spirit Spies "Bonneville"

This mosaic image from the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the area in front of the rover after its record 27.5 meters (90.2 feet) drive on Sol 43, which ended February 16, 2004. Spirit is looking toward one of its future targets, the rim of a crater nicknamed "Bonneville."

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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Mark of the Moessbauer
Mark of the Moessbauer

This image, taken by an instrument called the microscopic imager on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, reveals an imprint left by another instrument, the Moessbauer spectrometer. The imprint is at a location within the rover wheel track named �Middle of Road.� Both instruments are located on the rover�s instrument deployment device, or �arm.�

Not only was the Moessbauer spectrometer able to gain important mineralogical information about this site, it also aided in the placement of the microscopic imager. On hard rocks, the microscopic imager uses its tiny metal sensor to determine proper placement for best possible focus. However, on the soft martian soil this guide would sink, prohibiting proper placement of the microscopic imager. After the Moessbauer spectrometer's much larger, donut-shaped plate touches the surface, Spirit can correctly calculate where to position the microscopic imager.

Scientists find this image particularly interesting because of the compacted nature of the soil that was underneath the Moessbauer spectrometer plate. Also of interest are the embedded, round grains and the fractured appearance of the material disturbed within the hole. The material appears to be slightly cohesive. The field of view in this image, taken on Sol 43 (February 16, 2004), measures approximately 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS
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Map of Moessbauer Placement
Map of Moessbauer Placement

This elevation map of a soil target called �Peak� was created from images taken by the microscopic imager located on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit�s instrument deployment device or �arm.� The image reveals the various high and low points of this spot of soil after the Moessbauer spectrometer, another instrument on the rover�s arm, was gently placed down on it. The blue areas are farthest away from the instrument; the red areas are closest. The variation in distance between blue and red areas is only 2 millimeters, or .08 of an inch. The images were acquired on sol 39 (February 11, 2004).

Image credit: NASA/JPL/USGS
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Moessbauer Close-Up
Moessbauer Close-Up

This close-up image of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit�s instrument deployment device, or �arm,� shows the donut-shaped plate on the Moessbauer spectrometer. This image makes it easy to recognize the imprint left by the instrument in the martian soil at a location called �Peak� on sol 43 (February 16, 2004). This image was taken by the rover�s panoramic camera on sol 39 (February 11, 2004).

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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