This view is a vertical projection that combines more than 500 exposures
taken by the Surface Stereo Imager camera on NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander
and projects them as if looking down from above.
The black circle on the spacecraft is where the camera itself is mounted
on the lander, out of view in images taken by the camera. North is toward
the top of the image. The height of the lander's meteorology mast,
extending toward the southwest, appears exaggerated because that mast is
taller than the camera mast.
This view in approximately true color covers an area about 30 meters by 30
meters (about 100 feet by 100 feet). The landing site is at 68.22 degrees
north latitude, 234.25 degrees east longitude on Mars.
The ground surface around the lander has polygonal patterning similar to
patterns in permafrost areas on Earth.
This view comprises more than 100 different Stereo Surface Imager
pointings, with images taken through three different filters at each
pointing. The images were taken throughout the period from the 13th
Martian day, or sol, after landing to the 47th sol (June 5 through July
12, 2008). The lander's Robotic Arm is cut off in this mosaic view because
component images were taken when the arm was out of the frame.
The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf
of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin
Space Systems, Denver.
