Spirit Studies Rock Outcrop at 'Home Plate'
3/7/06
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired this false-color image at
11:48 local true solar time on Mars on the rover's 746th Martian day, or
sol (Feb. 26, 2006), after using the rock abraision tool to brush the
surfaces of rock targets informally named "Stars" (left) and "Crawfords"
(right). Small streaks of dust extend for several centimeters behind the
small rock chips and pebbles in the dusty, red soils. Because the rover
was looking southwest when this image was taken, the wind streaks indicate
that the dominant wind direction was from the southeast.
The targets Stars and Crawfords are on a rock outcrop located on top of
"Home Plate." The outcrop is informally named "James 'Cool Papa' Bell,"
after a Negro Leagues Hall of Famer who played for both the Pittsburgh
Crawfords and the Kansas City Stars. To some science team members, the
two brushed spots resemble the eyes of a face, with rocks below and
between the eyes as a nose and layered rocks at the bottom of the image
as a mouth.
The image combines frames taken by Spirit's panoramic camera through the
camera's 753-nanometer, 535-namometer, and 432-nanometer filters. It is
enhanced to emphasize color differences among the rocks, soils and brushed
areas. The blue circular area on the left, Stars, was brushed on 761 (Feb.
22, 2006). The one on the right, Crawfords, was brushed on sol 763 (Feb.
25, 2006).
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS/Cornell
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