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Press Release Images: Spirit
01-May-2006
 
 
This image shows a sweeping black-and-white panorama of the rounded, knob-like peak of 'Husband Hill' in the distance, flanked by an undulating, rocky ridge on the right. Beneath the peak is a horizontal, roughly oval ripple field crisscrossed by wavy crests of sand that have migrated in a row from left to right. In the foreground, scattered rocks and surface wrinkles cast long shadows from left to right across the rough, sandy landscape between the rover and the dune field. Near the bottom center of the panorama is a pair of rover tracks.
Low Sun from 'Low Ridge'

A spectacular field of Martian sand ripples separates NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit from the slopes of "Husband Hill." It has been 200 Martian days, or sols, since the rover started a descent from the top of the peak to the rover's current position on "Low Ridge." Looking back to the north on sol 813 (April 17, 2006), Spirit acquired this blue-filter (436-nanometer) view with the right panoramic camera (Pancam) while the Sun was low in the sky late in the afternoon. Because of the low-angle lighting (sunlight is coming from the left), images like this provide superb views of subtle textures in the topography both near and far. Husband Hill, where the rover was perched late last summer, rises prominently just left of center in this view. A 150-meter wide (500 foot) field of curving sand ripples named "El Dorado" lies at the base of Husband Hill.

By collecting photos like this at different times of day, when lighting comes from different directions, scientists can distinguish surface properties such as color and reflectivity from topography and roughness. By separating these components they can map more details of the geologic terrain, providing new clues about the geologic history of Gusev Crater.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
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