Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2019

T his image of a target called Private Joseph Field combines four images from the microscopic imager on Opportunity’s robotic arm, with enhanced color in- formation added from the rover’s panoramic camera. This target is within the Marathon Valley area of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The component im- ages were taken on May 29, 2016. The mosaic shows an area spanning about 2 inches (5 centimeters). [NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/USGS/ASU] T his full-circle scene combines 817 images by Op- portunity's Pancam, taken between sol 2,811 of the rover's Mars surface mission (Dec. 21, 2011) and sol 2,947 (May 8, 2012). The panorama combines ex- posures taken through Pancam filters centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). The view is presented in false-color to make some differences between materials easier to see. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State Univ.] T his relatively bright outcropping of rock, dubbed Gasconade, was investigated by Opportunity while the rover was perched on Spirit Mound at the western edge of Endeavour Crater. This mosaic combines four frames taken by the microscopic imager on Opportunity’s ro- botic arm on Oct. 2, 2016. Enhanced color infor- mation from Opportunity’s panoramic camera has been added to emphasize differences in the materials visible in the target. The view covers an area about 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/USGS/ASU]