|
 |
 advertisement
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Image of the Day: Back to the Rusty Future
posted: 07:00 am ET
04 June 2003
|
Untitled Document
NASA/VIKING/Mary A. Dale-Bannister,
Washington University in St. Louis
CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION
A European-built Mars robot is now en route to the red planet and two surface-roving NASA robots are slated to launch soon [Full Coverage]. The pictures they send back will probably remind a lot of folks of the intrepid Sojourner rover from the 1997 Pathfinder mission -- the last to touch down safely on Mars. Others might be reminded of the twin Viking landers, the pioneers of Martian surface exploration. This picture is from Viking 1, the first spacecraft to land on Mars (on July 20, 1976). The image was made by combining low-resolution Viking color images with high-resolution black-and-white photos. The big rock to the left of center is called Big Joe and is about 6 feet (2 meters) wide. Scientists name Mars rocks so they can discuss them more conveniently. The rock is covered in red dust. Mars is red because its soil contains a lot of oxidized iron. Here on Earth, we call that rust. -- Robert Roy Britt Return each weekday for a new SPACE.com Image of the Day. 
|
|
|
|
|
