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The surface of Mars as if you could reach out and touch it A processed composite image of extraordinary quality, indicative of the images yet to come. The variety of color of soils in this panoramic image is striking -- and unexpected, more Earth-like than would have been imagined before Pathfinder's landing. There are a number of geological features in this panorama that are already of great interest. The left ramp appears to have settled in the center of a wind-scoured, shallow arroyo, an area where the soils appear to be composed of much heavier grained particles than those near the Sojourner rover. Just upslope of the ramp's arroyo (to the right) is "Flat Top," a rock with a rather thick patina of fine-grained dust (believed to be approximately micron sized or smaller). Farther to the right, the area in front of the Sojourner rover has been interpreted as a possible evaporation pan due to its flatness, soil deposition nature, and the presence of a possible salt ring. However, unless some currently unknown mechanism of frequent surface rehydration is proposed, such an explanation seems untenable. Evidence of evaporation pans on earthly deserts is relatively easily erased by wind and sand. A billion global, seasonal sandstorms would seem to be more than capable of eradicating any trace of such fragile evidence of standing surface water. The very fine-grain silt becomes apparently deepest as the rise crests toward the right of the panorama. Rocks here are nearly buried in the soil. At the extreme right of the image is the ASI/MET tower of the Sagan Station. The wind socks are hanging limp, indicating the presence of no appreciable wind at the time of this image. The panoramic image begins by bisecting the low gain antenna at the far left and ends at the far right, where it again bisects the antenna, thus making a precise 360 degree sweep, with no image overlap. The imaging camera was extended to its full height above the station when these images were captured.
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