Spirit Studies Rock Outcrop at ‘Home Plate’ (False Color)
NASA’s Mars Exploration rover Spirit acquired this false color image at 11:48 local true solar time on Mars on the rovers 746th Martian day, or sol (Feb. 26, 2006), after using the Rock Abrasion Tool to bush the surfaces of rock targets informally named “Stairs”(left) and “Crawfords” (right). Small streaks of dust of dust extend for several centimeters behind the small rock chips and pebbles in the dusty, red soils. Because the rover was looking southwest when this image was taken, the wind streaks indicate that the dominant wind direction was from the southwest.
The targets Stars and Crawfords are on a rock outcrop located on top of “Home plate.” The outcrop is informally named “James ‘Cool Papa’ Bell” after the Negro Leagues Hall of Famer who played for the Pittsburg Crawfords and the Kansas City Stars. To some science team members, the two-brushed spots resemble the eyes of a face with rocks below and between the eyes as a nose and layered rocks at the bottom of the image as a mouth.
The image combines frames taken by Spirits panoramic camera through the camera’s 753-nanometer, 535-nanometer and 432 nanometer filters. It is enhanced to emphasize the color differences among the rocks, soils, and brushed areas. The blue circular area on the left, Stars, was brushed on sol 761(Feb 22, 2006). The one on the right, Crawford was brushed on sol 763 (Feb.25, 2006).
Spirit Studies Rock Outcrop at ‘Home Plate’ (False Color)
NASA’s Mars Exploration rover Spirit acquired this false color image at 11:48 local true solar time on Mars on the rovers 746th Martian day, or sol (Feb. 26, 2006), after using the Rock Abrasion Tool to bush the surfaces of rock targets informally named “Stairs”(left) and “Crawfords” (right). Small streaks of dust of dust extend for several centimeters behind the small rock chips and pebbles in the dusty, red soils. Because the rover was looking southwest when this image was taken, the wind streaks indicate that the dominant wind direction was from the southwest.
The targets Stars and Crawfords are on a rock outcrop located on top of “Home plate.” The outcrop is informally named “James ‘Cool Papa’ Bell” after the Negro Leagues Hall of Famer who played for the Pittsburg Crawfords and the Kansas City Stars. To some science team members, the two-brushed spots resemble the eyes of a face with rocks below and between the eyes as a nose and layered rocks at the bottom of the image as a mouth.
The image combines frames taken by Spirits panoramic camera through the camera’s 753-nanometer, 535-nanometer and 432 nanometer filters. It is enhanced to emphasize the color differences among the rocks, soils, and brushed areas. The blue circular area on the left, Stars, was brushed on sol 761(Feb 22, 2006). The one on the right, Crawford was brushed on sol 763 (Feb.25, 2006).