[酷图] “机遇”号在火星上挖出深9公分的浅坑

http://www.sina.com.cn 2004年02月18日 10:06 新华网


这张美国国家航空航天局2月17日公布的照片显示，“机遇”号火星车在着陆区域——“梅里迪亚尼平面”的沙土上来回拖动它的一只车轮，从而挖出了一个长50公分、宽20公分、深9公分的浅坑。火星车将对坑底的新鲜土壤进行取样分析研究，以确定火星矿物的成分。新华社/路透

图为“机遇”号的母船、它的行进轨迹和挖出的浅坑（左下）

PIA05300: Track-and-Trench

This image shows the tracks and trench marks made by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The rover can be seen to the lower left of the lander. The trench is visible to the upper left of the rover, which has traveled a total of 35.3 meters (116 feet) since leaving the lander on sol 7 (January 31, 2004). On sol 23 (February 16, 2004), the rover used one of its wheels to dig a trench measuring approximately 10 centimeters (4 inches) deep, 50 centimeters (20 inches) long, and 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide. This vertically projected image was created using a combination of images from the rover’s navigation camera and hazard-avoidance cameras.

PIA05301: Track-and-Trench 2

This image shows the tracks and trench marks made by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The rover can be seen to the lower left of the lander. The trench is visible to the upper left of the rover, which has traveled a total of 35.3 meters (116 feet) since leaving the lander on sol 7 (January 31, 2004). On sol 23 (February 16, 2004), the rover used one of its wheels to dig a trench measuring approximately 10 centimeters (4 inches) deep, 50 centimeters (20 inches) long, and 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide. This polar-projected image showing the horizon was created using a combination of images from the rover’s navigation camera and hazard-avoidance cameras.

“机遇”号正在检查新鲜的土壤

PIA05305: Fresh Soil for Inspection

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity dragged one of its wheels back and forth across the sandy soil at Meridiani Planum to create a hole (bottom of image) measuring approximately 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) long by 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide by 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) deep. The rover's instrument deployment device, or arm, will begin studying the fresh soil at the bottom of this trench later today for clues to its mineral composition and history. Scientists chose this particular site for digging because previous data taken by the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer indicated that it contains crystalline hematite, a mineral that sometimes forms in the presence of water. The brightness of the newly-exposed soil is thought to be either intrinsic to the soil itself, or a reflection of the Sun. The rock outcrop lining the inner edge of the small crater encircling the rover and lander can be seen on the horizon. This fish-eye image was taken by the rover's hazard-avoidance camera.

“机遇”号向后倒车剥这层火星土壤

PIA05306: Peeling Back the Layers of Mars

This is a 3-D model of the trench excavated by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on the 23rd day, or sol, of its mission. An oblique view of the trench from a bit above and to the right of the rover's right wheel is shown. The model was generated from images acquired by the rover's front hazard-avoidance cameras.

PIA05307: What Lies Beneath

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity dragged one of its wheels back and forth across the sandy soil at Meridiani Planum to create a hole (center) measuring approximately 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) long by 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide by 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) deep. The rover's instrument deployment device, or arm, will begin studying the fresh soil at the bottom of the trench later today for clues to its mineral composition and history. Scientists chose this particular site for trenching because previous data taken by the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer indicated that it contains crystalline hematite, a mineral that sometimes forms in the presence of water. The brightness of the newly-exposed soil is thought to be either intrinsic to the soil itself, or a reflection of the Sun. This image was taken by the rover's hazard-avoidance camera.

PIA05308: Dragging Its Foot

This animation shows the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity digging a hole in the ground at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The rover scraped its front right wheel back and forth across the surface six times by rotating its whole body in place. At the end of each sweep, the wheel changed the direction it was spinning to shove excess dirt out of the way. The resulting trench is about 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) long by 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide by 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) deep.
The rover's instrument deployment device, or arm, will begin studying the fresh soil at the bottom of the hole later today for clues to its mineral composition and history. Scientists chose this particular site for trenching because previous data taken by the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer indicated that it contains crystalline hematite, a mineral that sometimes forms in the presence of water. The brightness of the newly-exposed soil is thought to be either intrinsic to the soil itself, or a reflection of the Sun.

This image taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the crater floor at Meridiani Planum, Mars, after the rover dug a trench on sol 23 (February 16, 2004). Scientists used the microscopic imager, an instrument located on the rover's instrument deployment device, or "arm," to take a picture of the small patch of soil in the center of the trench wall. Here, that microscopic image has been overlaid to show where that patch of soil, which measures approximately 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across, is located.

PIA05331: "Stucco" Walls

This projected mosaic image, taken by the microscopic imager, an instrument located on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity 's instrument deployment device, or "arm," shows the partial clotting or cement-like properties of the sand-sized grains within the trench wall. The area in this image measures approximately 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) wide and 5 centimeters (2 inches) tall.(This image also appears as an inset on a separate image from the rover's navigation camera, showing the location of this particular spot within the trench wall.)

正在拍摄土壤的显微照片

This animation shows the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's arm exploring the trench the rover dug with one of its wheels. The arm, or instrument deployment device, holds a suite of scientific instruments designed to examine rocks and soil for signs of past water on Mars. The movie was made from images taken by the rover's hazard-avoidance camera.