PIA17364: Mineral Detected from Orbit Found in Dark Veneers
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
 Spacecraft:  Opportunity
 Instrument:  Panoramic Camera
 Product Size:  2940 x 3000 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Cornell University 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA17364.tif (26.47 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA17364.jpg (790.4 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:

Click here for larger annotated version of PIA17364
Annotated Version
Click on the image for larger version

Researchers used NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity to find a water-related mineral on the ground that had been detected from orbit, and found it in the dark veneer of rocks on the rim of Endeavour Crater.

This false-color view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on Opportunity shows a dark veneer, exposed after brushing with the rover's rock abrasion tool. These finely layered rocks with dark veneers are in the "Whitewater Lake" outcrop on "Matijevic Hill" on the western rim of Endeavour. The deposits are part of the ancient Matijevic formation, which predates the Endeavour impact event. The brushed area is about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) wide. This image was taken on the 3,098th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission (Oct. 11, 2012).

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.

Image Addition Date:
2014-01-23