- Original Caption Released with Image:
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Click on the image for Looking Back at 'Eagle Crater'(3-D) (QTVR)
This is a 3-D version of the first 360-degree view from the Mars
Exploration Rover Opportunity's new position outside "Eagle Crater," the
small crater where the rover landed about two months ago. Scientists are
busy analyzing Opportunity's new view of the plains of Meridiani Planum.
The plentiful ripples are a clear indication that wind is the primary
geologic process currently in effect on the plains. The rover's tracks
can be seen leading away from Eagle Crater. At the far left are two
depressions--each about a meter (about 3.3 feet) across---that feature
bright spots in their centers. One possibility is that the bright material
is similar in composition to the rocks in Eagle Crater's outcrop and the
surrounding darker material is what's referred to as "lag deposit," or
erosional remnants, which are much harder and more difficult to wear away.
These twin dimples might be revealing pieces of a larger outcrop that lies
beneath. The depression closest to Opportunity is whimsically referred
to as "Homeplate" and the one behind it as "First Base." The rover's
panoramic camera is set to take detailed images of the depressions today,
on Opportunity's 58th sol. The backshell and parachute that helped
protect the rover and deliver it safely to the surface of Mars are also
visible near the horizon, at the left of the image. This image was taken
by the rover's navigation camera.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL
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