Mars Rovers Gallery

Sojourner robotic vehicle on Mars

robotic Sojourner rover vehicle on the surface of Mars sampling the large rock known as "Yogi". "Yogi" was the second rock to have its composition studied by Sojourner with its Alpha-Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS). Sojourner also carries a high-resolution camera. It's tracks are seen in the fine soil. The rover weighs 9 kg, is 63cm long and 48cm wide. It is powered by a solar panel which allows for a few hours movement per day, and is controlled by an operator on Earth. Part of a 360 degree panorama taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on the 8th, 9th and 10th Martian days spent on Mars since it landed on 4 July 1997

© NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Sojourner. Mars Pathfinder mosaic image of the

Martian pebbles, Curiosity rover image

Martian pebbles, as imaged by NASA's Curiosity rover. This rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, landed in the Gale Crater, Mars, on 6 August 2012. This image is part of testing of the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) instrument. The dust cover on MAHLI was opened for the first time during the 33rd Martian day (sol) of the mission (8 September 2012). This patch of ground is about 86 centimetres across, with the large pebble (lower right) around 8 centimetres across. Shadows cast are visible, as well as the varying thickness of dust on the surrounding ground, possibly influenced by the larger pebbles

© NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Martian soil, Curiosity image

Martian soil. Image showing part of the small pit created in the Martian surface when NASA's Curiosity rover collected its second scoop of soil at a sandy patch called Rocknest. The bright particle near the centre of this image, and similar ones elsewhere in the pit, prompted concern because a small, light-toned shred of debris from the spacecraft had been observed previously nearby. However, the mission's science team assessed the bright particles in this scooped pit to be native Martian material rather than spacecraft debris. Imaged by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on Curiosity, during the 69th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (15th October 2012), about a week after the scoop dug this hole. The view here covers an area of ground about 4

© NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY