DESCRIPTION

Mars Pathfinder Landing Site
(Sojourner)
Ares Vallis, Mars

This 3-D view of the surface of Mars was obtained by Mars Pathfinder, which landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. Visible in this scene is the microrover Sojourner, shortly after it rolled onto the martian surface. Sojourner is 63 centimeters long. The ramp used by the rover to move onto the surface is visible in the foreground.

Also visible are a variety of rocks, including "Barnacle Bill," adjacent to Sojourner. Barnacle Bill was the first rock analyzed by the rover. The largest rock in the scene is "Yogi," which is 1 to 2 meters across.

The Mars Pathfinder landing site is at the mouth of Ares Vallis, a large outflow channel that emptied into the Chryse Basin. (See the Ares Vallis 3-D page for more images and information on Ares Vallis.) Vast floodwaters poured over this site several billion years ago.

(The apparent offsets within the scene, including one of the rover wheels, are artifacts created when the mosaic was assembled shortly after landing.)