Mars From Afar
Terrain
Mars Pathfinder's stereo imaging system took a series of photographs
that were used to create this 360-degree "geometrically improved,
color-enhanced" panorama of the surface of Mars. The images were
made over the course of three martian days to ensure consistent
lighting and shadows across the panorama. In the lower portion of
the image, you can see the lander, with its opened petals, deflated
airbags, and pair of ramps. The Sojourner rover descended the rear
(right) ramp to the surface, then made its way to the large rock,
dubbed "Yogi," where it is using its Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer
to study the rock's composition. The "Twin Peaks" visible on the
horizon are less than a mile and a quarter away.