PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- NASA's Spirit rover transmitted its first full-color, high-resolution image of the surface of Mars on Tuesday.
The 150-pound rover, which landed on Jan. 3, has been surveying its surroundings in preparation for next week's crawl across the Martian landscape.
In the image -- which encompasses only about one-eighth of the landscape surrounding Spirit -- the vast, flat plain of Gusev Crater, the rover's landing site, is covered with the now-familiar rust-colored dust that gives Mars its nickname: the red planet. The area was chosen for exploration by Spirit because scientists think the 4-billion-year-old crater once held a huge lake.
The absence of large boulders nearby means the six-wheeled Spirit should have an easy time traversing the landscape over its expected 90-day operational lifetime.
NASA said Spirit's cameras will be sending more color images over the next few days to complete the panoramic view of the landing site.
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(Editors: UPI photo WAS2004010651 is available)
