HiRes Mosaic of Rover/Mars

Originals uploaded by MidiBro; retouched, restitched and edited by Ed Cameron for NSS/SEO.

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 the 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 and right of the rover is part of the airbag system used to cushion the landing.  In this view, it is clear that the airbag is blocking the path of the rover and will have to be moved before Sojourner can be deployed to the surface.  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.