spacetoday.net: First color images from Spirit expected Tuesday

Posted: Tue, Jan 6, 2004, 11:51 AM ET (1651 GMT)
Mars Exploration Rover (NASA/JPL)

The first color images from NASA's Mars rover Spirit should be transmitted Tuesday as controllers prepare the spacecraft to move off the lander early next week. Scientists had hoped that the first color images could be transmitted on Monday, but those images were held back so that additional engineering data could be sent from Spirit. The spacecraft is in good condition with no major issues, although the rover still has to pass several critical tests before it can roll off the lander in about a week. Scientists, though, have had access to black-and-white images from the lander, which have been converted into a 360-degree three-dimensional panorama of the landing site. Of particular interest is a circular depression dubbed "Sleepy Hollow" that is nine meters across and located 12 meters from the lander. The depression may be a secondary impact crater partially filled with dust. Black marks seen in the depression could have been made by Spirit's airbags as the spacecraft bounced across the terrain before coming to rest.