With all of the attention on Curiosity, we sometimes forget about the earlier Mars rover Spirit that was rolling around on the Red Planet's surface from 2004 to 2010 (when we lost communication). Above is an 360-degree panoramic image from Spirit while nestled in its "Winter Haven." Below is the rest of the story from NASA:
- This 360-degree view, called the "McMurdo" panorama, comes from the
panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. From
April through October 2006, Spirit stayed on a small hill known as "Low
Ridge." There, the rover's solar panels were tilted toward the sun to
maintain enough solar power for Spirit to keep making scientific
observations throughout the winter on southern Mars. This view of the
surroundings from Spirit's "Winter Haven" is presented in approximately
true color.
The Pancam began shooting component images of this
panorama during the 814th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's work on Mars
(April 18, 2006) and completed the part shown here on Sol 980 (Oct. 5,
2006).
This beautiful scene reveals a tremendous amount of detail
in Spirit's surroundings. Many dark, porous-textured volcanic rocks can
be seen around the rover, including many on Low Ridge. Two rocks to the
right of center, brighter and smoother-looking in this image and more
reflective in infrared observations by Spirit's miniature thermal
emission spectrometer, are thought to be meteorites. On the right,
"Husband Hill" on the horizon, the rippled "El Dorado" sand dune field
near the base of that hill, and lighter-toned "Home Plate" below the
dunes provide context for Spirit's travels from mid-2005 to early 2006.
Left of center, tracks and a trench dug by Spirit's right-front wheel,
which could no longer rotate, exposed bright underlying material. This
bright material is evidence of sulfur-rich salty minerals in the
subsurface, providing clues about the watery past of this part of Gusev
Crater.
A version of the McMurdo panorama without the rover deck,
but including a supplemental figure with landscape features labeled, is
at PIA01907.
