Browse All : Mars Pathfinder of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Pathfinder Panorama

title	Pathfinder Panorama
description	This is a more recent 'geometrically improved, color enhanced' version of the 360-degree 'Gallery Pan', the first contiguous, uniform panorama taken by the Imager for Mars (IMP) over the course of Sols 8, 9, and 10. Different regions were imaged at different times over the three Martian days to acquire consistent lighting and shadow conditions for all areas of the panorama. In this version of the panorama, much of the discontinuity that was due to parallax has been corrected, particularly along thelower tiers of the mosaic containing the Lander features. Distortiondue to a 2.5 degree tilt in the IMP camera mast has been removed. The IMP is a stereo imaging system that, in its fully deployed configuration, stands 1.8 meters above the Martian surface, and has a resolution of two millimeters at a range of two meters. The IMP has color capability provided by 24 selectable filters -- twelve filters per 'eye'. Its red, green, and blue filters were used to take this panorama. The three color images were first digitally balanced according to the transmittance capabilities of a specific high-definition TV device at JPL, and then enhanced via changes to saturation and intensity while retaining the hue. A threshold was applied to avoid changes to the sky. An MTF filter was applied to sharpen feature edges. At left is a Lander petal and a metallic mast which is a portion of the low-gain antenna. On the horizon the double 'Twin Peaks' are visible, about 1-2 kilometers away. The rock 'Couch' is the dark, curved rock at right of Twin Peaks. Another Lander petal is at left-center, showing the fully deployed forward ramp at far left, and rear ramp at right, which rover Sojourner used to descend to the surface of Mars on July 5. Immediately to the left of the rear ramp is the rock 'Barnacle Bill', which scientistsfound be andesitic, possibly indicating that it is a volcanic rock (a true andesite) or a physical mixture of particles. Just beyond Barnacle Bill, rover tracks lead to Sojourner, shown using its Alpha ProtonX-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument to study the large rock 'Yogi'. Yogi, low in quartz content, appears to be more primitive than Barnacle Bill, and appears more like the common basalts found on Earth. The tracks and circular pattern in the soil leading up to Yogi werepart of Sojourner's soil mechanics experiments, in which varying amounts of pressure were applied to the wheels in order to determine physical properties of the soil. During its traverse to Yogi the roverstirred the soil and exposed material from several centimeters indepth. During one of the turns to deploy Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer, the wheels dug particularly deeply and exposed white material. Spectra of this white material show it is virtually identical to the rock 'Scooby Doo', and such white material may underlie much of the site. Deflated airbags are visible at the perimeter of all three Lander petals. Mars Pathfinder was the second in NASA's Discovery, program of low-costspacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet PropulsionLaboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfindermission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is anoperating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and PlanetaryLaboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. Image Credit: NASA

Mars Pathfinder Lander Prepa …

title	Mars Pathfinder Lander Preparations
date	10.02.1996
description	In Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2), Jet Propulsion Laboratory workers are closing up the metal "petals" of the Mars Pathfinder lander. The Sojourner small rover is visible on one of the three petals. Image Credit: NASA

Mars Pathfinder Preparations

title	Mars Pathfinder Preparations
date	11.27.1996
description	Workers at Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Station get one final look at the Mars Pathfinder before it is sealed inside a protective payload fairing for flight. The Pathfinder and its PAM-D upper stage booster are perched atop the Delta II expendable launch vehicle that carried the spacecraft into orbit. Image Credit: NASA

Pathfinder Launch

title	Pathfinder Launch
description	A Delta rocket carrying Mars Pathfinder and the Sojourner Rover lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 4, 1996. Image Credit: NASA

Close-Up of Sol 24 Sunset

title	Close-Up of Sol 24 Sunset
description	This is a close-up of the sunset on Sol 24 as seen by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder. The red sky in the background and the blue around the Sun are approximately as they would appear to the human eye. The color of the Sun itself is not correct -- the Sun was overexposed in each of the 3 color images that were used to make this picture. The true color of the Sun itself may be near white or slightly bluish. 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). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. Image Credit: NASA

Delta Rocket Launch Carrying Mars Pathfinder

Delta Rocket Launch Carrying …

title	Delta Rocket Launch Carrying Mars Pathfinder
date	12.04.1996
description	Mars Pathfinder was launched on a Delta Launch Vehicle at 1:56 am on 4 December 1996 from Cape Canaveral Spaceflight Center. Image Credit: NASA/JPL

Newly Deployed Sojourner Rov …

title	Newly Deployed Sojourner Rover
description	This 8-image mosaic was acquired during the late afternoon (near 5pm LST, note the long shadows) on Sol 2 as part of the predeploy "insurance panorama" and shows the newly deployed rover sitting on the Martian surface. This color image was generated from images acquired at 530,600, and 750 nm. The insurance panorama was designed as "insurance" against camera failure upon deployment. Had the camera failed, the losslessly-compressed, multispectral insurance panorama would have been the main source of image data from the IMP. However, the camera deployment was successful, leaving the insurance panorama to be downlinked to Earth several weeks later. Ironically enough, the insurance panorama contains some of the best quality image data because of the lossless data compression and relatively dust-free state of the camera and associated lander/rover hardware on Sol 2. 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 an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal investigator. Image Credit: NASA

360 Degree Panorama Mars Pathfinder Landing Site

360 Degree Panorama Mars Pat …

Title	360 Degree Panorama Mars Pathfinder Landing Site
Full Description	This is the first contiguous, uniform 360-degree color panorama taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) over the course of sols 8, 9, and 10 (Martian days). Different regions were imaged at different times over the three Martian days to acquire consistent lighting and shadow conditions for all areas of the panorama. At left is a lander petal and a metallic mast which is a portion of the low-gain antenna. On the horizon the double "Twin Peaks" are visible, about 1-2 kilometers away. The rock "Couch" is the dark, curved rock at right of Twin Peaks. Another lander petal is at left-center, showing the fully deployed forward ramp at far left, and rear ramp at right, which rover Sojourner used to descend to the surface of Mars on July 5. Immediately to the left of the rear ramp is the rock Barnacle Bill, which scientists found to be andesitic, possibly indicating that it is a volcanic rock (a true andesite) or a physical mixture of particles. Just beyond Barnacle Bill, rover tracks lead to Sojourner, shown using its Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument to study the large rock Yogi. Yogi, low in quartz content, appears to be more primitive than Barnacle Bill, and appeared more like the common basalts found on Earth. The tracks and circular pattern in the soil leading up to Yogi were part of Sojourner's soil mechanics experiments, in which varying amounts of pressure were applied to the wheels in order to determine physical properties of the soil. During its traverse to Yogi the rover stirred the soil and exposed material from several centimeters in depth. During one of the turns to deploy Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer, the wheels dug particularly deeply and exposed white material. Spectra of this white material show it is virtually identical to the rock Scooby Doo, and such white material may underlie much of the site. Deflated airbags are visible at the perimeter of all three lander petals. The IMP is a stereo imaging system with color capability provided by 24 selectable filters, twelve filters per "eye." Its red, green, and blue filters were used to take this image. The IMP, in its fully deployed configuration, stands 1.8 meters above the Martian surface, and has a resolution of two millimeters at a range of two meters. 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, DC. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Date	07/18/1997
NASA Center	Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Pathfinder Air Bags

Title	Pathfinder Air Bags
Full Description	Engineers test huge, multi-lobed air bags, which will envelope and protect the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft before it impacts the surface of Mars. The air bags, manufactured by ILC Dover of Frederica, Delaware, are composed of four large bags with six smaller, interconnected spheres within each bag. The bags measure 5 meters (17 feet) tall and about 5 meters (17 feet) in diameter. As Pathfinder is descending to the Martian surface on a parachute, an onboard altimeter inside the lander will monitor its distance from the ground. The computer will inflate these large air bags about 100 meters (330 feet) above the surface of Mars. ILC Dover is the same company that manufactures spacesuits.
Date	06/14/1995
NASA Center	Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Hubble's Sharpest View of Ma …

Title	Hubble's Sharpest View of Mars
General Information	What is an Early Release Observation? A photograph of a celestial object that demonstrates the performance of a new Hubble camera. The recently refurbished Hubble telescope obtained the sharpest view of Mars ever taken from Earth. This stunning portrait was taken with March 10, 1997, just before the Red Planet made one of its closest passes to Earth (about 60 million miles or 100 million kilometers). The Martian North Pole is at the top [near the center of the bright polar cap] and east is to the right. This view of Mars was taken on the last day of Martian spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Hubble's Sharpest View of Ma …

Title	Hubble's Sharpest View of Mars
General Information	What is an Early Release Observation? A photograph of a celestial object that demonstrates the performance of a new Hubble camera. The recently refurbished Hubble telescope obtained the sharpest view of Mars ever taken from Earth. This stunning portrait was taken with March 10, 1997, just before the Red Planet made one of its closest passes to Earth (about 60 million miles or 100 million kilometers). The Martian North Pole is at the top [near the center of the bright polar cap] and east is to the right. This view of Mars was taken on the last day of Martian spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Martian Dust Devil Trails

Title	Martian Dust Devil Trails
Explanation	Who's [ http://www.gargaro.com/marvin.html ] been marking up Mars? This portion of a recent high-resolution picture [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/lpsc2000/3_00_dustdevil/ index.html ] from the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft shows twisting dark trails criss-crossing a relatively flat rippled region about 3 kilometers wide on the martian surface. Newly formed [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/7_30_98_devil_rel/ ] trails like these presented researchers with a tantalizing martian mystery but have now been identified as likely the work of miniature wind vortices [ http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/honors/student/tornado/spouts.htm ] known to occur on the red planet [ http://marsweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] - martian dust devils [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/7_1_99_devils/ ]. Another example of wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000202.html ] processes on [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/science/atmospheric.html ] an active Mars, dust devils [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~lemmon/impMPF/ ] had been detected passing near the Viking and Mars Pathfinder [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] landers. Such spinning columns of rising air heated by the warm surface are common in dry and desert areas on planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000303.html ]. Typically lasting only a few minutes, they becoming visible as they pick up loose dust. On Mars [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/chronology_mars.html ], dust devils [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/8_10_99_releases/moc2_171/ index.html ] can be up to 8 kilometers high [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/8_10_99_releases/moc2_171/ moc2_171d_msss.jpg ] and leave dark trails as they disturb the bright, reflective surface dust.

A Presidential Panorama of M …

Title	A Presidential Panorama of Mars
Explanation	Scroll right to unfold one of the great panoramas ever taken on the surface of Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ]. For best viewing, click and hold the right arrow icon at the bottom of your browser window. This image [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ], dubbed a "presidential panorama" by the Mars Pathfinder team [ http://entertainment.digital.com/mars/exclusive-video.html ], shows in colorful detail the surroundings of the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ]. Now look closely at the big rock midway through the scrolling picture. That rock is called Yogi [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980309.html ] and just to its left is the robot Sojourner Rover [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991030.html ] taking measurements of it. Other now-famous rocks are also visible including Barnacle Bill [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970708.html ] and Flat Top. After this picture was taken Sojourner went on to analyze a rock named Scooby Doo. The Mars Pathfinder mission [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/index.html ] landed on 1997 July 4 and collected data [ http://imp.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/ ] for about three months. Analysis indicates [ http://imp.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/press_releases/29jun_98.html ] that the Pathfinder site was likely awash in water in the distant past, but has been dry for the last two billion years.

Slightly Above Mars Pathfind …

Title	Slightly Above Mars Pathfinder
Explanation	If you could have hovered above the Pathfinder mission [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/fact_sheet.html ] to Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ] in 1997, this is what you might have seen. Directly below you is the control tower of Sagan [ http://www.sciam.com/explorations/010697sagan/010697explorations.html ] Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ]. Three dark solar arrays extend out to collect valuable energy, surrounded by light-colored deflated airbags that protected Pathfinder's instruments from directly colliding with the rocky Martian surface. The left solar panel [ http://www.qrg.nwu.edu/projects/vss/docs/Power/1-what-are-solar-panels.html ] has ramps down which Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ]'s rolling robot Sojourner [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/rover/mission.html ] started its adventure to nearby rocks. Sojourner [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991030.html ] itself is visible inspecting a rock nicknamed Yogi [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980309.html ] at 11 o'clock. Rocks cover the Martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960207.html ], with Twin Peaks [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970714.html ] visible on the horizon at 9 0'clock. The distant sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970804.html ] is mostly orange. This image [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02652 ] is a recently released digital combination of panoramic picture [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000514.html ]s taken by Pathfinder on Mars and a picture of a Lander scale model back on Earth. The Mars Pathfinder Mission [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/index1.html ] was able to collect data for three months, sending back information that has indicated a wet distant past [ http://imp.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/press_releases/29jun_98.html ] for Mars.

Martian Analemma

Title	Martian Analemma
Explanation	On planet Earth, an analemma [ http://www.analemma.com ] is the figure-8 loop [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061223.html ] you get when you mark the position of the Sun at the same time each day throughout the year. But similarly marking the position of the Sun in the Martian sky would produce the simpler, stretched pear shape [ http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/allison_02/ ] in this digital illustration, based on the Mars Pathfinder project's famous Presidential Panorama [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000514.html ] view from the surface. The simulation shows the late afternoon [ http://www.giss.nasa.gov/data/mars/time/ ] Sun that would have been seen from the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/index1.html ] once every 30 Martian days [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timekeeping_on_Mars ] (sols) beginning on Pathfinder's Sol 24 (July 29, 1997). Slightly less bright, the simulated Sun is only about two thirds the size as seen from Earth, while the Martian [ http://pweb.jps.net/~tgangale/mars/faq.htm ] dust, responsible for the reddish sky of Mars, also scatters some blue light around the solar disk.

Surrounded by Mars

Title	Surrounded by Mars
Explanation	Just after landing on Mars in 1997, the robotic Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/index1.html ] main station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000912.html ] took a quick first look around. This insurance panorama [ http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/lemmon/about_udp.html ] was taken even before the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ] camera was raised to its two-meter-high perch. The full view is best seen by slowly scrolling to the right. The unique perspective captures many Mars Pathfinder instruments [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/sci_desc.html ] in the close foreground including a screen for judging sky illumination, communications antennae, solar panels [ http://www.qrg.nwu.edu/projects/vss/docs/Power/1-what-are-solar-panels.html ], and two ramps leading down to the surface for the robot probe Sojourner [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/rover/mission.html ]. After taking the ramp on the right, Sojourner [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991030.html ] can be seen on the Martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000514.html ]. Visible on the surface are numerous rocks [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980309.html ] and hills [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990704.html ] that came to be better studied. The Mars Pathfinder mission [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/mpf.pdf ] went on to return 16,000 images and data that resulted in many discoveries [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf-pressrel.html ], including evidence for warmer and wetter conditions on Mars [ http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html ] in the past. After nearly three spectacular months exploring the surface, Mars Pathfinder dropped out of communication [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf-929-pressrel.html ], likely the result of depleted battery power.

Pictured: An Ancient Martian …

Title	Pictured: An Ancient Martian?
Explanation	Alien! Alien? Is this what an ancient Martian looked like? [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/ ] The tube-like form on the above highly magnified image [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/photos.htm ] is now believed by many to be a fossil of a simple Martian organism [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960807.html ] that lived over 3.6 billion years ago [ http://xalph.ast.cam.ac.uk/niel/geohist1.ascii ]. If this extraordinary claim is true, this alien [ http://www.hrgiger.com/roman/roman.htm ] could hardly have been less intimidating as its fossil measures less than 1/100th the width of a human hair. A reconstruction of events indicates that the meteorite that housed this potential fossil was catapulted from Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950716.html ] during a huge impact [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960203.html ] 16 million years ago and fell to Earth's Antarctica [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951222.html ] only 13,000 years ago. Evidence supporting this claim of early Martian life [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/marslif6.htm ] includes organic molecules and mineral features characteristic of biological activity found in the meteorite. NASA missions [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mars/index.html ] to Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/mars.html ] in the next few years include Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mgs-www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], which may uncover data that help confirm or refute this exciting claim.

Martian Analemma

Title	Martian Analemma
Explanation	On planet Earth, an analemma [ http://www.analemma.com ] is the figure-8 loop [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030320.html ] you get when you mark the position of the Sun at the same time each day throughout the year. But similarly marking the position of the Sun in the Martian sky would produce the simpler, stretched pear shape [ http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/intro/allison_02/ ] in this digital illustration [ http://www.skyscapes.com/MarsAnalemma.htm ], based on the Mars Pathfinder project's famous Presidential Panorama [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000514.html ] view from the surface. The simulation shows the late afternoon [ http://www.giss.nasa.gov/data/mars/time/ ] Sun that would have been seen from the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/index1.html ] once every 30 Martian days (sols) beginning on Sol 24 (July 29, 1997). Slightly less bright, the simulated Sun is only about two thirds the size as seen from Earth, while the Martian [ http://pweb.jps.net/~tgangale/mars/faq.htm ] dust, responsible for the reddish sky of Mars, also scatters some blue light around the solar disk. Astronomer Dennis Mammana offers the illustration to mark the hopeful beginning of an exciting new era of robotic exploration [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030502.html ] of the Red Planet, with two new Mars missions [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/ ] now enroute [ http://sci.esa.int/home/marsexpress/ ] and one preparing to launch.

Bound For Mars

Title	Bound For Mars
Explanation	Two NASA spacecraft, Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mgs-www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], are presently approaching the red planet [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ]. Pathfinder is scheduled to land on July 4th and Global Surveyor due to enter orbit in September. Recent studies of the Martian climate [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970324.html ], motivated by this impending invasion of spacecraft from Earth [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov:80/mars/ ], have indicate that Mars weather is more chaotic than previously thought [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/97/15/background.html ] - showing abrupt swings between "hot and dusty" and "cold and cloudy". These Hubble Space Telescope images [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/97/15.html ] from March 1997 show the Northern Hemisphere in early Martian summer [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/97/15/C.html ], with a receding polar cap and whitish water-ice clouds. The left image is centered on Ares Valles, Pathfinder's landing site [ http://mpfwww.arc.nasa.gov/mpf/landing.html ], while in the right image, towering Tharsis mountains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950719.html ] (massive extinct volcanoes) can be seen poking through the clouds. Stretching to the eastern edge of the righthand image (at lower right) is the Valles Marineris [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950720.html ], an immense canyon system. Martian weather reports [ http://nova.stanford.edu/projects/mgs/dmwr.html ] will play an important role [ http://mpfwww.arc.nasa.gov/mpf/marswatch.html ] in mission planning. Both spacecraft rely on the Martian atmosphere for braking maneuvers and Pathfinder's lander and rover are solar powered.

Mars: Just The Facts

Title	Mars: Just The Facts
Explanation	Mars [ http://www.challenger.org/marsl.html ], the freeze-dried planet [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html ], orbits 137 million miles from the Sun or at about 1.5 times the Earth-Sun distance [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960727.html ]. It has two diminutive moons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961222.html ], towering extinct volcanos [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950719.html ], an immense canyon system [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950720.html ], a thin atmosphere chiefly composed of carbon dioxide (CO2), a frigid average surface temperature of -63 degrees Celsius [ http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/staff/blynds/tmp.html ], and permanent frozen CO2 polar caps which contain some water ice. Mars' surface presently lacks liquid water [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970316.html ] and has a reddish color because of an abundance of oxidized iron compounds (rust). A small terrestrial planet [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ], fourth from the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970528.html ], Mars has only about 3/8 the surface gravity of Earth. So for example, if you tip the scale at a hefty 200 pounds on Earth you'd be a 75 pound featherweight on Mars [ http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/ ]. The low martian gravity will be good for NASA's Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft scheduled to land on Mars [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/mars.htm ] next Friday, July 4th [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/mission.success.html ]. Using rockets, parachutes, and airbags [ http://mars.sgi.com/mpf/realtime/edlpage.html ], Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.arc.nasa.gov/mpf/mission_ops.html ] will be the first spacecraft to touchdown on the planet since the Viking landers [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960722.html ] in 1976. Pathfinder is also scheduled to begin the first ever mobile surface exploration [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/ ] by releasing the robot rover [ http://ranier.hq.nasa.gov/telerobotics_page/coolrobots96.html ], "Mars Sojourner" [ http://mars.sgi.com/rover/about.html ].

A Martian Day's End

Title	A Martian Day's End
Explanation	A Day or "Sol" on Mars is only 40 minutes longer than an Earth day - and Pathfinder's first [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970705.html ] day on Mars, Sol 1 according to its local calendar, was an eventful one [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970704.html ]. Still, late in the martian afternoon [ http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/resources/mars_data-information/mars_overview.html ] of Sol 1, the camera on board the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft recorded [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] this panorama of the ancient floodplain Ares Vallis [ http://members.aol.com/space7/exper.html ]. Two of the three landing petals lie in the foreground at the edges of this scene surrounded by deflated and partially gathered airbags. The martian soil near the spacecraft has been disturbed by the airbag retraction. The petal holding the undeployed robot rover Sojourner [ http://mars.compuserve.com/mpf/rover.html ] is at the left. One of Sojourner's planned routes to the surface will be down the ramp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970420.html ] seen rolled up at the petal's edge. Mission teams have overcome some rover communications [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/rovercom/rovcom.html ] problems and are proceding carefully with plans to roll the Sojourner out onto the martian surface [ http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/index.html ]. NASA has announced that the Pathfinder station on Mars will be renamed in honor of astronomer Carl Sagan [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961226.html ].

A Landing On Mars

Title	A Landing On Mars
Explanation	Today, July 4th [ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ ], at about 10:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), the Mars Pathfinder [ http://mars.sgi.com/index.html ] spacecraft will land on Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970703.html ]. Ninety minutes before reaching the surface Pathfinder will begin a flurry of activity. The robot spacecraft is scheduled to [ http://mpfwww.arc.nasa.gov/mpf/edl/edl1.html ] vent cooling fluid, jettison its cruise stage, decelerate at 20 gees on atmospheric entry, deploy a 24 foot parachute, jettison its heat shield, slide down a 60 foot bridle, fire solid fuel braking rockets, deploy a cocoon of airbags, separate from the bridle, impact the martian surface, bounce a few times (traveling about 300 - 600 feet between bounces), settle on the surface, deflate the airbags, right itself, deploy its landing petals, and resume communication with planet Earth, all under the autonomous control of the onboard computer. If all goes well [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960825.html ], at about 4:30 PM PDT the Pathfinder's camera "IMP" will spring into action [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/index.html ] recording frame by frame a panoramic view of the surface. Dubbed "Mission Success" [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/mission.success.html ] the mosaic above is a laboratory simulation of the planned first image sequence to be downlinked from the surface of Mars.

Yogi Rock

Title	Yogi Rock
Explanation	This portrait [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/img/81203.txt ] of Yogi Rock, a now famous boulder on Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970627.html ], was recorded on Sol [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970706.html ] 3 by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP [ http://imp.lpl.arizona.edu/mars/ ]). Big and friendly looking like its Earth cartoon namesake Yogi Bear, Yogi Rock is a prominent visible feature at the Pathfinder landing site [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/landingsite.html ]. Yogi and surrounding [ http://www.sun.com/mars/default.html ] soil are being examined close up [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/pf07091.txt ] by the Sojourner robot rover. Initial attempts [ http://www.sun.com/mars/ops/rvrmovie.html ] to approach the rock and to place Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer [ http://mars.sgi.com/mpf/sci_desc.html#APXS ] against it have met with some minor, but not unusual, difficulties [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/pf970710.html ]. It is speculated that the light colored "moat-like" terrain around Yogi is the result of the evaporation of surface water deposited by ancient floods.

A Presidential Panorama of M …

Title	A Presidential Panorama of Mars
Explanation	Scroll right to unfold the latest panorama of the surface of Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ]. For best viewing, click and hold on the right arrow icon at the bottom of your browser window. This image [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ], released yesterday and dubbed a "presidential panorama" by the Mars Pathfinder team [ http://entertainment.digital.com/mars/exclusive-video.html ], shows in colorful detail the surroundings of the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ]. Now look closely at the big rock midway through the scrolling picture. That rock is called Yogi [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970711.html ] and just to its left is the robot Sojourner Rover [ http://mars.compuserve.com/ops/rover.html ] taking measurements of it. Other now-famous rocks are also visible including Barnacle Bill [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970708.html ] and Flat Top. After this picture was taken Sojourner went on to analyze a rock named Scooby Doo. Intermittent communications problems [ http://mars.sgi.com/default.html ] continue to cause occasional delays in downloading data and images from Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default1.html ].

Mars: Yogi And Friends In 3D Credit: IMP Team [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/new.team.html ] JPL [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]

Mars: Yogi And Friends In 3D …

Title	Mars: Yogi And Friends In 3D Credit: IMP Team [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/new.team.html ] JPL [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]
Explanation	A ramp from the Pathfinder lander [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970705.html ], the Sojourner robot rover [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970707.html ], airbags, a couch, Barnacle Bill [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970708.html ], and Yogi Rock [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970711.html ] appear together in this 3D stereo view of the surface of Mars [ http://mars.sgi.com/ops/sol8.html ]. Barnacle Bill is the rock just left of the solar-paneled Sojourner and Yogi is the big friendly-looking boulder at the right. The "couch" is the angular rock shape visible on the horizon. Look at the image with red/blue glasses [ http://img.arc.nasa.gov/archive/desert96/redblue.html ] (... or just hold a piece of clear red plastic over your left eye and blue or green over your right) to get the dramatic 3D perspective. The stereo view was recorded by the remarkable Imager for Mars Pathfinder [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/ ] (IMP) camera. The IMP has [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/how.does/how.does.html ] two optical paths for stereo imaging and ranging and is equipped with an array of color filters for spectral analysis. Operating as [ http://mars.sgi.com/default.html ] the "first astronomical observatory on Mars" the IMP has also recorded images of the Sun and Deimos, the smallest of Mars' two tiny moons. Overcoming communications problems [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/pf970714.html ] and computer resets the Pathfinder is transmitting [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/update.html ] new color images which should be available July 18.

Mars: Twin Peaks In Stereo Credit: IMP Team [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/new.team.html ] JPL [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]

Mars: Twin Peaks In Stereo C …

Title	Mars: Twin Peaks In Stereo Credit: IMP Team [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/new.team.html ] JPL [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]
Explanation	Get out your red/blue glasses [ http://img.arc.nasa.gov/archive/desert96/redblue.html ] and gaze across the surface of Mars [ http://ic-www.arc.nasa.gov/ic/projects/bayes-group/Atlas/Mars/ ] in stereo. You are looking south of west across an ancient flood channel [ http://members.aol.com/space7/exper.html ], Ares Vallis, landing site [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/landingsite.html ] of the Mars Pathfinder [ http://mars.sgi.com/default.html ]. A rover deployment ramp and lander petal [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/education/cutouts.html ] define the foreground in this 3D-view while a field of rocks seems to stretch to the horizon. At the upper right, over half a mile distant, are the hills known as the "Twin Peaks". Today [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/ ] is Sol [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970706.html ] 10, the tenth day the Pathfinder [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970705.html ] lander and Sojourner [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970707.html ] rover have been operating on the martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ]. Over that period, the mission has been returning a wealth of images and data [ http://mars.sgi.com/default.html ]. The otherwise successful rover activities [ http://mars.sgi.com/ops/rover.html ] have been recently hampered [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/pf970713.html ] by some communication and computer difficulties.

A Rusty Sunset on Mars

Title	A Rusty Sunset on Mars
Explanation	On Mars, sunsets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970801.html ] can appear salmon pink. The unusual color is partly due to rust [ http://www.wqa.org/WQIS/Glossary/rust.htm ]: oxidized iron from Martian dust [ http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/OptInstr/mars.html ] circulating in the Martian atmosphere [ http://humbabe.arc.nasa.gov/mgcm/faq/climate_study.html ]. Clouds [ http://marswatch.tn.cornell.edu/jgr_co2.html ] appear in the morning and evening, but usually evaporate in the midday Sun. A day on Mars [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/mars.htm ] lasts 24.6 hours - very similar to Earth's, but a Martian year lasts almost twice as long as an Earth year. The above panorama [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/sol27-28.html ] by Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], shown mirror-inverted, was released last Friday by the Imager team [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/new.team.html ]. Mars Pathfinder has now successfully completed all the goals of its planned mission. Nevertheless, the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ] spent the weekend recharging its batteries, anticipating the possibility of still more productive weeks [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] of exploration ahead.

Pictured: An Ancient Martian …

Title	Pictured: An Ancient Martian?
Explanation	Alien! Alien? Is this what an ancient Martian looked like? [ http://www.fas.org/mars/marslife.htm ] The tube-like form on the above highly magnified image [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/photos.htm ] is now believed by many to be a fossil [ http://www.cs.uwindsor.ca/meta-index/mcat/html-docs/woop.html ] of a simple Martian organism [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960807.html ] that lived over 3.6 billion years ago [ http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html ]. If this extraordinary claim [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/ ] is true, this alien could hardly have been less intimidating as its fossil measures less than 1/100th the width of a human hair. A reconstruction of events indicates that the meteorite [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/antmet/mmc/mmc.htm ] that housed this potential fossil was catapulted from Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970627.html ] during a huge impact [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960203.html ] 16 million years ago and fell to Earth's Antarctica [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951222.html ] only 13,000 years ago. Evidence supporting this claim of early Martian life [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/marslif6.htm ] includes organic molecules and mineral features characteristic of biological activity [ http://www.fas.org/mars/dickbook.htm ] found in the meteorite. NASA's current missions [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mars/index.html ] to Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970814.html ] are Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mgs-www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]. Though not designed to look for martian fossils, these missions may reveal information about conditions on early Mars [ http://www.sciam.com/1196issue/1196kargel.html ] which might have been more favorable for life [ http://www.execulink.com/~louisew/Origins.htm ].

A Martian Sunset

Title	A Martian Sunset
Explanation	You've had a hard day rolling past Martian rocks [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970722.html ], so now just relax your APXS [ http://mars.sgi.com/mpf/sci_desc.html#APXS ] and enjoy the Martian sunset. The above pictures [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/sol20-21.html ] taken by Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default1.html ] highlight how clouds vary during the end of a Martian day. The atmosphere on Mars [ http://humbabe.arc.nasa.gov/mgcm/faq/climate_study.html ] is much thinner than on Earth [ http://pegasus.phast.umass.edu/a100/handouts/earthatm/earthatm.html ] and dominated by carbon dioxide [ http://hydrolab.arsusda.gov/csl/bsum.html ] rather than nitrogen [ http://cst.lanl.gov/CST/imagemap/periodic/7.html ]. Clouds on Mars [ http://marswatch.tn.cornell.edu/jgr_co2.html ] can be water [ http://www.sciam.com/1196issue/1196kargelbox2.html ] or carbon dioxide based, depending on conditions [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/marscld.htm ], whereas Earth's clouds are all water based. At night the temperature [ http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/mars/pathfinder.html ] at Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ] will dip from about -15 degrees Celsius [ http://144.26.13.41/phyhist/celsius.htm ] (+4 Fahrenheit) to -77 degrees Celsius (-107 Fahrenheit). Temperatures [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/asimet.html ] only this cold won't bother Sojourner [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970707.html ].

Mars Pathfinder's Landing Si …

Title	Mars Pathfinder's Landing Site
Explanation	Where is Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ]? Follow the arrow in the above picture taken by the Viking Orbiter [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ] in 1976. From the surface Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970705.html ] appears covered with rocks, but from orbit Mars [ http://mars.sgi.com/ops/sol6.html ] appears covered with craters. However, several familiar features are visible in this photograph [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/marsland.html ]. To the left (west) of Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ] are the now-familiar twin peaks [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970714.html ] that dominate the horizon of many Pathfinder photographs [ http://mars.sgi.com/default.html ]. These hills are about one kilometer from the landing site, twice the planned range of Sojourner [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/rover/faqs_sojourner.html ]. Two craters loom nearby: a small one to the east not easily visible here, and a big one to the south of Pathfinder. The landing site is in the dry flood channel named Ares Vallis [ http://members.aol.com/space7/exper.html ].

Spirit Rover Bounces Down on …

Title	Spirit Rover Bounces Down on Mars
Explanation	After a seven month voyage through interplanetary space, NASA's Spirit Rover has reached the surface of the Red Planet and returned the first images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html ] from its landing site in Gusev crater! The entry, descent, and landing phase [ http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/tl_entry1.html ] of its mission - referred to by mission planners as "Six Minutes of Terror" - began Saturday night around 8:30pm PST as Spirit entered the martian atmosphere at about 12,000 miles per hour. Depicted in the above artist's illustration [ http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ artwork/ ], the spacecraft is in the final stages of its landing sequence, swaddled in large, protective airbags and bouncing to a soft landing on Mars. The same type of airbags were used for the Mars Pathfinder [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970705.html ] landing in 1997. Updates on Spirit's status [ http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] will be posted throughout the day.

A Dust Devil Crater on Mars

Title	A Dust Devil Crater on Mars
Explanation	What caused the streaks in this Martian crater? Since the above image [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/12/02/index.html ] shows streaks occurring both inside and outside the crater, they were surely created "after" the crater-causing impact. Newly formed [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/7_30_98_devil_rel/ ] trails like these presented researchers with a tantalizing martian mystery but have now been identified as likely the work of miniature wind vortices [ http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/honors/student/tornado/spouts.htm ] known to occur on the red planet [ http://marsweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] - martian dust devils [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/7_1_99_devils/ ]. Another example of wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000202.html ] processes on [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/science/atmospheric.html ] an active Mars, dust devils [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~lemmon/impMPF/ ] had been detected passing near the Viking and Mars Pathfinder [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] landers. Such spinning columns of rising air heated by the warm surface are common in dry and desert areas on planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000303.html ]. Typically lasting only a few minutes, they becoming visible as they pick up loose dust. On Mars [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/chronology_mars.html ], dust devils [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/8_10_99_releases/moc2_171/ index.html ] can be up to 8 kilometers high [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/8_10_99_releases/moc2_171/ moc2_171d_msss.jpg ] and leave dark trails as they disturb the bright, reflective surface dust.

Half Dome Rock on Mars

Title	Half Dome Rock on Mars
Explanation	Who ordered the Martian pizza? As Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default1.html ] and its mobile robot Sojourner [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/rover/sojourner.html ] continue to explore [ http://mars.sgi.com/default.html ] Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ], new and interesting rocks are being discovered, even though the primary mission [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/pfprime.html ] has been successfully completed. The rock [ http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/~skientz/little_rock/ ] pictured above [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/sol71.html ] has been dubbed "Half Dome" and was visited by Sojourner in late August. The shape and fine-scale textures of Half Dome are still being studied. As part of the extended mission, Sojourner [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970814.html ] has been sent on its longest journey yet [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/pfextend.html ] - a 50 meter stroll around the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ].

Mars Pathfinder Super Pan

Title	Mars Pathfinder Super Pan
Explanation	Spectacular details of rover tracks, wind-driven soil, and textured rocks on the Martian surface fill this color mosaic [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/img/august27.html ]. The view is north-northeast from the Sagan Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ] at the Pathfinder landing site on Mars. These images are just part of the "Super Panorama" [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/img/83647.txt ] - a detailed color and stereo [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970716.html ] imaging data set being compiled by Pathfinder's IMP [ http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/index.html ] camera. The data set will be used to derive detailed topographic maps of the landing site [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/marsland.html ] and to further explore [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/science.html ] the mineralogy of the martian rocks and soil. The forward rover deployment ramp and the rock named Barnacle Bill, appear in the foreground at the left while the larger Yogi rock [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970814.html ] is partly visible at the upper right. Criss-crossing tracks were made by the cruising Sojourner robot rover's [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/rover/sojourner.html ]spiked wheels. With three wheels on each side, the two foot long rover makes tracks about 1.5 feet apart.

Ice Clouds over Mars

Title	Ice Clouds over Mars
Explanation	Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ] has clouds too. The above true color image [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/sol45-46.html ] taken in August by Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] shows clouds of ice high in the Martian atmosphere [ http://humbabe.arc.nasa.gov/mgcm/faq/climate_study.html ]. Unlike Earth's atmosphere [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/atmosphere.html ] which is composed predominantly of nitrogen [ http://cst.lanl.gov/CST/imagemap/periodic/7.html ] and oxygen [ http://cst.lanl.gov/CST/imagemap/periodic/8.html ], Mars' atmosphere is composed mostly of carbon dioxide [ http://hydrolab.arsusda.gov/csl/bsum.html ]. Nevertheless, a trace amount of water [ http://www.sciam.com/1196issue/1196kargelbox2.html ] does freeze into visible clouds [ http://marswatch.tn.cornell.edu/jgr_co2.html ] at night, which become particularly apparent during the day by reflection of sunlight. Contact was lost [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] with Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default1.html ] last Sunday but re-established later in the week.

A Martian Lake Bed?

Title	A Martian Lake Bed?
Explanation	Look closely. In this Mars Global Surveyor image [ http://barsoom.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/ images/11_10_97_release/2306/index.html ] of the Martian surface just south of Schiaparelli crater [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/MarsTools/ Mars_Cat/Part_3/Sites/site014.html ], dark lines appear to criss-cross light colored depressions. One tantalizing possibility is simply that the feature near the center is similar to a dried-up lake bed [ http://www.primenet.com/~agore/nature/lakebd.htm ] on planet Earth, where light colored mineral deposits are left as water evaporates and cracks are produced as the ground dries. This potential Martian lake bed is roughly 3/4 miles across and may provide further evidence that Mars once possessed surface water. Recently announced results [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/pfscimag.html ] from the Mars Pathfinder mission also point to a Martian past which included [ http://humbabe.arc.nasa.gov/mgcm/faq/wetmars.html ] a denser atmosphere and surface water - conditions which could have supported life [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970816.html ].

Yogi Rock on Mars

Title	Yogi Rock on Mars
Explanation	Yogi [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980309.html ap970711.html ] is possibly the best photographed rock on Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970627.html ]. By combining many pictures taken during the Mars Pathfinder Mission [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] last year, scientists were able to create a super-resolution, digitally enhanced image [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/high-res.html ] that better allows them to study Yogi [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970716.html ]'s surface and more accurately determine [ http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/278/5344/1743 ] how Yogi was formed. The smoothness of some Martian rocks suggests previous interactions with water [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/papers.html ], implying that Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ] was both warmer and wetter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980205.html ] in the past.

A Face On Mars

Title	A Face On Mars
Explanation	This image, showing what looks to be a human face [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/HTML/FS-016-HQ.html ] (above center) and other features of the Cydonia region on the Martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960207.html ], was produced using data from NASA's Viking 1 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ] orbiter in 1976. Described in a NASA press release [ http://barsoom.msss.com/education/facepage/pio.html ] as a "rock formation which resembles a human head", some have since offered the extraordinary explanation that the face is an artificial construct built by a civilization on Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ]! However, most scientists have a more conventional view - that this feature [ http://barsoom.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ] is indeed a natural Martian hill whose illusory face-like appearance [ http://barsoom.msss.com/education/happy_face/happy_face.html ] depends on illumination and viewing angle. This month [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/cydonia2.html ], the Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/ ] satellite will be in position to take new pictures [ ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1998/98-050.txt ] of this region of controversial Martian features along with areas around the Mars Pathfinder [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971010.html ] and Viking landing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960722.html ] sites.

Return To Cydonia

Title	Return To Cydonia
Explanation	Yesterday the Mars Global Surveyor project released a new close-up image [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/mgs/cydonia/ ] of a portion of the Cydonia region on Mars. This cropped and processed version [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/mgs/cydonia/cyd3-pro.txt ] shows an area about 2 miles wide (the full version [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/target/CYD1/index.html ] covers a strip nearly 2.6 miles wide by 25 miles long) and at full resolution has a pixel size of about 14 feet. The rock formation visible is the famous feature seen [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/ images/4_6_face_release/index.html ] as the "Face on Mars" [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980406.html ] in 1976 Viking orbiter images. Such complex looking landforms in the Cydonia region are thought to be the result of erosion and weathering of ancient crust by Martian winds, frost, and possibly surface water [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980205.html ]. Mars Global Surveyor is scheduled to take other images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/cydonia2.html ] of the Cydonia region and the Mars Pathfinder and Viking landing sites this month.

Mars: Big Crater in Stereo

Title	Mars: Big Crater in Stereo
Explanation	Get out your red/blue glasses [ http://img.arc.nasa.gov/archive/desert96/redblue.html ] and check out this stereo picture of "Big Crater" [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/ 4_25_98_pathfinder_release/index.html ] on Mars! (Pieces of red and blue or green clear plastic will do. Your right eye should look through the red piece.) The stereo perspective [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/xref/exhibits/stereo_rule.html ] was created by combining images from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/movpics/mgs_vrml/mgs_vrml.html ] taken on two different orbits, each with a slightly different viewing angle. At just under a mile in diameter, Big Crater is not all that big [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960906.html ] but it is an important landmark in the vicinity of the Mars Pathfinder landing site [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970724.html ] on an ancient flood plain in Ares Vallis. Identifying corresponding smaller scale features in Pathfinder [ http://mars.sgi.com/science/science-index.html ] and Surveyor images [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/index.html ] will help to precisely locate the lander. Meanwhile, the line of sight between the Earth and Mars is approaching the Sun. During this period, known as solar conjunction [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/target/solarconj.html ], communicating with Mars Global Surveyor will be difficult.

At Work on Mars

Title	At Work on Mars
Explanation	To learn about the history ofMars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ], just ask the rocks. Last year, that's exactly what the robot rover Sojourner [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/rover/sojourner.html ] did. Sojouner [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/rover/mission.html ] can be seen, above, analyzing a rock nicknamed Moe, trying to discern its past. One significant discovery [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/science/science-index.html ] of the Mars Pathfinder mission [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] was that of conglomerate rocks, indicating [ http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/278/5344/1743 ] the presence of running water in the past. Such water, in turn, indicates that Mars was much more like watery Earth in the distant past [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/science/press_conference1.html ]. Visible in the foreground of this color-enhanced mosaic [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/photojournal.html ] is part of the Sagan [ http://www.sciam.com/explorations/010697sagan/010697explorations.html ] Memorial Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970710.html ], while a hill nicknamed one of the "Twin Peaks" is visible [ http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/278/5344/1734 ] about a kilometer in the distance.

Infrared Mars

Title	Infrared Mars
Explanation	Was Mars wetter and more Earth-like [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/MENUS/lake_list.html ] in its distant past? This false-color composite [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/07/pr-photos.html ] image of Mars is part of the mounting evidence that liquid water once [ http://humbabe.arc.nasa.gov/mgcm/faq/wetmars.html ] did play a significant role in Martian surface [ http://marswatch.tn.cornell.edu/mars.html ] geology. Constructed from infrared imaging data obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://marswatch.tn.cornell.edu/hst96-97.html ] in July 1997, the north polar cap [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981216.html ] is near the top of the picture and the large reddish region indicates potential water-bearing [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/07/content/prc9907l.txt ] mineral deposits. Mars Pathfinder landed [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/science/press_conference1.html ] at the southern edge of this area, known as the Mare Acidalium, also finding evidence of water-worn conglomerate rocks. Large scale surface features in this region [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/marsland.html ] appear to have been sculpted by massive flooding in the early history of Mars [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/ ].

A Landing On Mars

Title	A Landing On Mars
Explanation	On July 4th [ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ ], 1997 - using its own array of fireworks, a parachute, and airbags - the Mars Pathfinder [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html ] spacecraft successfully came to rest on the surface of Mars at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time. Ninety minutes before reaching the surface Pathfinder [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/stamp.html ] began a flurry [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/timeline.html ] of activity. The robot spacecraft [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/index1.html ] vented cooling fluid, jettisoned its cruise stage, decelerated at 20 gees on atmospheric entry, deployed a 24 foot parachute, jettisoned its heat shield, slid down a 60 foot bridle, fired solid fuel braking rockets, deployed a cocoon of airbags, separated from the bridle, impacted the martian surface, bounced a few times (traveling about 300 - 600 feet between bounces), settled on the surface, deflated the airbags, and righted itself, all under the autonomous control of the onboard computer. Above is a mosaic of images transmitted shortly after Pathfinder reestablished communication with its operators on Earth. The solar powered, two foot long, 25 pound Mars Sojourner [ http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/~skientz/rover_letters/ ] robot rover [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/rover-ops.html ] is visible crouched on the unfolded spacecraft. Beyond lie deflated airbags, rock-strewn [ http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/~skientz/little_rock/ ] terrain [ http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/~skientz/little_rock/update.html ], distant hills, and a dusty brown martian [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970528.html ] sky.

Martian terrain & airbags - …

Title	Martian terrain & airbags - 3D
Description	Portions of the lander's deflated airbags and a petal are at the lower area of this image, taken in stereo by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. This image is part of a 3D "monster" panorama of the area surrounding the landing site. 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 an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. Click below to see the left and right views individually.[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Left [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Right
Date	07.11.1997

Martian terrain - 3D

Title	Martian terrain - 3D
Description	An area of rocky terrain near the landing site of the Sagan Memorial Station can be seen in this image, taken in stereo by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. This image is part of a 3D "monster" panorama of the area surrounding the landing site. 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 an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. Click below to see the left and right views individually.[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Left [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Right
Date	07.11.1997

ASI/MET - 3D

Title	ASI/MET - 3D
Description	The Atmospheric Structure Instrument/Meteorology Package (ASI/MET) is the mast and windsocks at the center of this color image, taken in stereo by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. The instrument appears in two different sections due to image parallax. The ASI/MET is an engineering subsytem that acquired atmospheric data during Pathfinder's descent, and will continue to get more data through the entire landed mission. The windsocks are seen pointing almost completely up, representing little wind movement at the three locations of the windsocks. A rock at left holds a shadow of the ASI/MET, indicating the sun's position is at the rear right. Portions of a lander petal and deflated airbag are visible, in addition to several rocks of varying sizes in the distance. 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 an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. Click below to see the left and right views individually.[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Left [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Right
Date	07.11.1997

Petal, terrain & airbags - 3 …

Title	Petal, terrain & airbags - 3D
Description	Portions of the lander's deflated airbags and a petal are at the lower area of this image, taken in stereo by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. The metallic object at lower right is part of the lander's low-gain antenna. This image is part of a 3D "monster Click below to see the left and right views individually.[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Left [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Right
Date	07.11.1997

Phobos

Title	Phobos
Description	Mars' innermost natural satellite, Phobos, is seen from the planet's surface in this Pathfinder image taken at night on Sol 56. This picture was acquired by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera. Using IMP images of Phobos and its companion moon Deimos, the spectral characteristics of the satellites and properties of the Martian atmosphere are determined. 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). The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Date	11.03.1997

Deflated Airbags and Yogi

Title	Deflated Airbags and Yogi
Description	The left portion of this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3, shows the large rock nicknamed "Yogi." Portions of a petal and deflated airbag are in the foreground. Yogi has been an object of study for rover Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument. The APXS will help Pathfinder scientists learn more about the chemical composition of that rock. 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 an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Date	07.15.1997

Deimos

Title	Deimos
Description	Mars' outermost natural satellite, Deimos, is seen from the planet's surface in this Pathfinder image taken at night on Sol 4. This picture was acquired by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera. Using IMP images of Deimos and its companion moon Phobos, the spectral characteristics of the satellites and properties of the Martian atmosphere are determined. 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). The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Date	11.03.1997

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