Figure 1: Spirit's Long Journey, Sol 450

This view from orbit shows the region in the "Columbia Hills" where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been working since mid-2004. The area in the image is about 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) across. North is to the top. The bright region near the center is the north flank of "Husband Hill." The imagery is from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor.

Spirit's Long Journey, Sol 450 (Detail)
More than 15 months after landing on Mars, NASA's Spirit rover is still going strong, having traveled a total of 4,276 meters (2.66 miles) as of martian day, or sol, 450 (April 8, 2005). This orbital view shows the path of Spirit's trek through the "Columbia Hills," beginning on the "West Spur" on sol 156 (June 11, 2004) and continuing up the flanks of "Husband Hill." The dashed line indicates the perimeter of the Columbia Hills, which consist of older rocks of different composition than those of the surrounding plain. The path of Spirit's trek is overlain on imagery from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The 500-meter scale bar is 1,640 feet long.