HiRes Color Mosaic of Mars

This mosaic from Mars Pathfinder was taken at 9:30 AM in the martian morning (2:30 PM Pacific
Daylight Time), after the spacecraft landed earlier today (July 4, 1997). The picture shows these
Sojourner rover perched on one of three solar panels. The rover is 65 cm (26 inches) long by 18 cm (7 inches) tall; each of its wheels is about 13 cm (5 inches) high. The white material to the left of the front of the rover is part of the airbag system used to cushion the landing.  Many rocks of different of different sizes can be seen, set in a background of reddish soil. The landing site is in the mouth of an ancient channel carved by water. The rocks may be primarily flood debris. The
horizon is seen towards the top of the picture. The light brown hue of the sky results from suspended dust.  (NASA JPL)