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Press Release Images: Opportunity
28-Jan-2004
Opportunity Rover Begins Standing Up
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An Opportunity to Rise
An Opportunity to Rise

This image shows the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's wheels in their stowed configuration. As of 9:00 a.m. January 28, 2004, the rover had deployed its wheels and completed the first half of the stand-up process. This image was taken at Opportunity's landing site, Meridiani Planum, by the hazard-avoidance camera.

Image credit: NASA/JPL
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A Higher Opportunity
A Higher Opportunity

This animation strings together images from the rover's front hazard-avoidance camera taken during the first half of the stand-up process of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The first frame shows the rover's wheels tucked under in pre-stand-up position. The following frames show the first two stages of the stand-up process, in which the rover elevates itself and unfolds the wheels.

Image credit: NASA/JPL
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Shades and Shapes of Mars
Shades and Shapes of Mars

This image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera highlights the flat and dark terrain of its landing site at Meridiani Planum. The landscape is in contrast to that of past landing sites on Mars, which show variations in color and topography. For example, the Viking 1 and Viking 2 missions observed rocky, dust-covered surfaces (PIA00393, PIA00568) much like those observed at Pathfinder's landing site (PIA02405). Gusev Crater, the landing site of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, is slightly darker in color but flat and speckled with a sparse array of rocks (PIA05102). Meridiani Planum has even fewer rocks than Gusev Crater and is darkest and cleanest of all the landing sites. This assortment of martian shades and shapes are further revealed in an image of the red planet taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (PIA03154).

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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A Geologist's Treasure Trove
A Geologist's Treasure Trove

This high-resolution image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera highlights the puzzling rock outcropping that scientists are eagerly planning to investigate. Presently, Opportunity is on its lander facing northeast; the outcropping lies to the northwest. These layered rocks measure only 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall and are thought to be either volcanic ash deposits or sediments carried by water or wind. Data from the panoramic camera's near-infrared, blue and green filters were combined to create this approximate, true-color image.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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Opportunity Rocks!
Opportunity Rocks!

This high-resolution image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera shows in superb detail a portion of the puzzling rock outcropping that scientists are eagerly planning to investigate. Presently, Opportunity is on its lander facing northeast; the outcropping lies to the northwest. These layered rocks measure only 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall and are thought to be either volcanic ash deposits or sediments carried by water or wind. The small rock in the center is about the size of a golf ball.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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Opportunity Rocks Again!
Opportunity Rocks Again!

This high-resolution image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera highlights a portion of the puzzling rock outcropping that scientists eagerly wait to investigate. Presently, Opportunity is on its lander facing northeast; the outcropping lies to the northwest. These layered rocks measure only 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall and are thought to be either volcanic ash deposits or sediments carried by water or wind. Data from the panoramic camera's near-infrared, blue and green filters were combined to create this approximate true color image.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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Airbag Tracks on Mars
Airbag Tracks on Mars

The circular shapes seen on the martian surface in these images are "footprints" left by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's airbags during landing as the spacecraft gently rolled to a stop. Opportunity landed at approximately 9:05 p.m. PST on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2004, Earth-received time. The circular region of the flower-like feature on the right is about the size of a basketball. Scientists are studying the prints for more clues about the makeup of martian soil. The images were taken at Meridiani Planum, Mars, by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.

Image credit: NASA/JPL
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Tracks 'Seam' Like Airbags
Tracks 'Seam' Like Airbags

Bearing a striking resemblance to a cluster of paper lanterns, these inflated airbags show a pattern of seams exactly like those left in the martian soil by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during landing at Meridiani Planum, Mars. This image was taken during airbag testing at NASA's Plum Brook Station, located about 50 miles west of Cleveland in Sandusky, Ohio and operated by NASA's Glenn Research Center.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
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