PIA00634: Sojourner's APXS studies Barnacle Bill
Sojourner's APXS studies Barnacle Bill
Target Name: Mars
Is a satellite of: Sol (our sun)
Mission: Mars Pathfinder (MPF)
Spacecraft: Mars Pathfinder Lander
Instrument: Imager for Mars Pathfinder
Product Size: 448 samples x 270 lines
Produced By: JPL
Producer ID: P48842
MRPS81303
Addition Date: 1997-07-07
Primary Data Set: MARS_PATHFINDER_PAGE
Full-Res TIFF: PIA00634.tif (105.9 kB)
Full-Res JPEG: PIA00634.jpg (22.41 kB)

Click on the image to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly cropped or reduced in size from original).

Original Caption Released with Image:
Sojourner's first analysis of a rock on Mars began on Sol 3 with the study of Barnacle Bill, a nearby rock named for its rough surface. The Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) will be used to determine the elements that make up the rocks and soil on Mars. A full study using the APXS takes approximately ten hours, and can measure all elements except hydrogen at any time of the Martian day or night. The APXS will conduct its studies by bombarding rocks and soil samples with alpha particle radiation -- charged particles equivalent to the nucleus of a helium atom, consisting of two protons and two neutrons.

The image was taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) after its deployment on Sol 3. Mars Pathfinder was developed and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL

Image Addition Date:
1997-07-07