PIA01132: Pathfinder Rover Atop "Mermaid Dune"
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Pathfinder (MPF)
 Spacecraft:  Mars Pathfinder Lander
 Instrument:  Imager for Mars Pathfinder 
 Product Size:  288 x 288 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Producer ID:  P49710 MRPS86808
 Addition Date:  1998-01-07
 Other  
Information: 
Science Magazine, 5 December, 1997
 Primary Data Set:  MARS_PATHFINDER_PAGE
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA01132.tif (269.6 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA01132.jpg (17.2 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Mars Pathfinder Lander camera image of Sojourner Rover atop the "Mermaid dune" on Sol 30. Note the dark material excavated by the rover wheels. These, and other excavations brought materials to the surface for examination and allowed estimates of mechanical properties of the deposits.

NOTE: original caption as published in Science magazine

Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL

Image Addition Date:
1998-01-07