The Landing
Site - Columbia Memorial Station
(available as wallpaper)
This image mosaic taken by the
panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows
the rover's landing site, the Columbia Memorial Station, at Gusev
Crater, Mars. This spectacular view may encapsulate Spirit's entire
journey, from lander to its possible final destination toward
the east hills. On its way, the rover will travel 250 meters (820
feet) northeast to a large crater approximately 200 meters (660
feet) across, the ridge of which can be seen to the left of this
image. To the right are the east hills, about 3 kilometers (2
miles) away from the lander. The picture was taken on the 16th
martian day, or sol, of the mission (Jan. 18/19, 2004). A tiny
portion of Spirit's solar panels appear in the foreground. Data
from the panoramic camera's green, blue and infrared filters were
combined to create this approximate true color image.
