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PIA00613: Martian terrain, unfurled rover ramps & deflated airbags
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| Target Name: |
Mars |
| Is a satellite of: |
Sol (our sun) |
| Mission: |
Mars Pathfinder (MPF)
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| Spacecraft: |
Mars Pathfinder Lander
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| Instrument: |
Imager for Mars Pathfinder
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| Product Size: |
1280 samples x 960 lines |
| Produced By: |
JPL
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| Producer ID: |
P48853
MRPS81279
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| Addition Date: |
1997-07-05 |
| Primary Data Set: |
MARS_PATHFINDER_PAGE |
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Full-Res TIFF:
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PIA00613.tif (2.82 MB)
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Full-Res JPEG:
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PIA00613.jpg (106.4 kB)
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Click on the image to download a moderately sized image in
JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original).
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- Original Caption Released with Image:
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The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) took this image of surrounding terrain in the mid-morning on Mars (2:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time) earlier today. Part of the small rover, Sojourner, is visible on the left side of the picture. The tan cylinder to the right of the rover is one of two rolled-up ramps by which the rover will descend to the ground. The white, billowy material in the center of the picture is part of the airbag system. Many rocks of different shapes and sizes are visible between the lander and the horizon. Two hills are visible on the horizon. The notch on the left side of the leftmost conical hill is an artifact of the processing of this picture.
Pathfinder, a low-cost Discovery mission, is the first of a new fleet of spacecraft that are planned to explore Mars over the next ten years. Mars Global Surveyor, already en route, arrives at Mars on September 11 to begin a two year orbital reconnaissance of the planet's composition, topography, and climate. Additional orbiters and landers will follow every 26 months. 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.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL
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