Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Late Afternoon on Mars


NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera to capture this low-light raw image during the late afternoon of the rover's 2,847th Martian day, or sol, of work on Mars (January 27, 2012).

The rover is positioned for the Mars winter at "Greeley Haven," an outcrop located on the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater. This site provides an approximate 15-degree northerly tilt for favorable solar energy production.

Plans for research continuing through the winter months at Greeley Haven include a radio-science investigation of the interior of Mars, inspections of mineral compositions and textures on the outcrop, and assembly of a full-circle, color panorama of the surroundings.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State University

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