Spaceflight Now
Mini-TES data from Spirit
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: January 9, 2004


This image shows the martian terrain through the eyes of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument that detects the infrared light, or heat, emitted by objects. The different colored circles show a spectrum of soil and rock temperatures, with red representing warmer regions and blue, cooler. The warm and dusty depression dubbed Sleepy Hollow stands out in the upper left. Scientists and engineers will use this data to pinpoint features of interest, and to plot a safe course for the rover free of hazy dust. The mini-thermal emission spectrometer data has been superimposed on an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera. Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Cornell University

You can download a larger version of the image here.
 

MISSION STATUS CENTER