PIA05104: "They of the Great Rocks"

Target Name: Mars Is a satellite of: Sol (our sun) Mission: Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spacecraft: Spirit Instrument: Panoramic Camera Product Size: 1024 samples x 1024 lines Produced By: Cornell University Full-Res TIFF: PIA05104.tif (3.15 MB) Full-Res JPEG: PIA05104.jpg (199.8 kB)

Original Caption Released with Image: This approximate true color image taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows "Adirondack," the rover's first target rock. Spirit traversed the sandy martian terrain at Gusev Crater to arrive in front of the football-sized rock on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004, just three days after it successfully rolled off the lander. The rock was selected as Spirit's first target because its dust-free, flat surface is ideally suited for grinding. Clean surfaces also are better for examining a rock's top coating. Scientists named the angular rock after the Adirondack mountain range in New York. The word Adirondack is Native American and means "They of the great rocks." Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell