Today only brought one image from Opportunity’s camera on Mars that was worth reassembling in color; this time, though, it’s true-color.

mars in true color

(Also, I’m not too sure what that little, white, vent-like object is to the right of the calibration target, but looking at this picture taken by Opportunity’s twin, Spirit, it appears that we can use its orientation to determine which rover took a picture in which it appears…)

Comments

Have a go at reconstructing there images ?

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=921

• Posted by: kert on Jan 28, 2004, 11:34 AM

How funny! I suspect that rather than being part of some elaborate hoax, though, the logo fell off. You can see in the better-resolution images of the pre-launch plaque (medium-res versions here and here, high-res versions here and here) that the logo is stuck on, rather than embossed; I bet that it’s now rattling around somewhere. Damn funny, though.

• Posted by: Jason on Jan 28, 2004, 11:47 AM

from http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft_instru_magarray.html

Magnet Arrays

Mars is a dusty place and some of that dust is highly magnetic. Magnetic minerals carried in dust grains may be freeze-dried remnants of the planet´s watery past. A periodic examination of these particles and their patterns of accumulation on magnets of varying strength can reveal clues about their mineralogy and the planet´s geologic history.

Each rover has three sets of magnetic targets that will collect airborne dust for analysis by the science instruments. One set of magnets will be carried by the Rock Abrasion Tool. As it grinds into Martian rocks, scientists will have the opportunity to study the properties of dust from these outer rock surfaces.

A second set of two magnets is mounted on the front of the rover at an angle so that non-magnetic particles will tend to fall off. These magnets will be reachable for analysis by the Mössbauer and APXS instruments. A third magnet is mounted on the top of the rover deck in view of the Pancam. This magnet is strong enough to deflect the paths of wind-carried, magnetic dust.

I believe the object to the right of the sundial is the magnet, well within vision of the pancam calibration pictures. We should be able to see dust accumulate on this as the mission progresses.

• Posted by: slinted on Feb 5, 2004, 9:22 AM
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