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PIA06949: Wonderful Wopmay
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
 Spacecraft:  Opportunity
 Instrument:  Navigation Camera
 Product Size:  924 x 1024 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Other  
Information: 
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 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA06949.tif (2.236 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA06949.jpg (121.4 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:

This three-dimensional view from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows an unusual, lumpy rock informally named "Wopmay" on the lower slopes of "Endurance Crater." Opportunity took the frames that make up this image on the rover's 250th martian day, or sol, on Oct. 6, 2004. Later, Opportunity investigated the rock with instruments on its robotic arm.

The rock's informal name refers to Wilfrid Reid "Wop" May, a Canadian bush pilot. Scientists believe that the lumps in Wopmay, like traits of "Escher" and other rocks dotting the bottom of Endurance Crater, may be related to cracking and alteration processes, possibly caused by exposure to water. The area between intersecting sets of cracks appears to have eroded in a way that shaped the lumpy appearance. Wopmay measures approximately 1 meter (3.3 feet) across.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL

Image Addition Date:
2004-10-18