PIA06045: Approaching the Hills
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
 Spacecraft:  Spirit
 Instrument:  Panoramic Camera
 Product Size:  2667 x 972 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Cornell University 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA06045.tif (5.736 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA06045.jpg (349.7 kB)
 QuickTime VR:  PIA06045.mov (1.312 MB)

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Click on the image for Approaching the Hills (QTVR)
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figure 1 for PIA06045
Figure 1

Spirit's Amazing Trek Continues (sol 190, July 16, 2004)
This view from where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit stood on the rover's 149th martian day, or sol (June 3, 2004), shows terrain the rover has crossed since then. The yellow line traces the path Spirit has taken since arriving at the "Columbia Hills." Labels show the informal names of rocks the rover has studied along the way. Spirit is currently headed east, traversing the flanks of the hills en route to an overlook above a steep valley that is out of view from this perspective. Scientists hope to find more layered rocks that will tell a story of ancient water on Mars. Spirit has traveled 498 meters (more than one-quarter of a mile) and ascended 20 meters (66 feet) above the plains since arriving at the "Columbia Hills" on sol 156 (June 11, 2004). It covered much of that distance driving on only five of its six wheels.

The images used to make this approximately true-color mosaic were taken with Spirit's panoramic camera from about 300 meters (984 feet) away from the base of the hills, using filters centered at wavelengths of 600, 530 and 480 nanometers.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Cornell

Image Addition Date:
2004-06-08