PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The NASA lander's camera Sunday showed a Martian horizon in the distance, and all around the flat expanse believed perfect for its Rover's exploration.
The fresh pictures on NASA's Web site were testimony to the magnitude of the success achieved when the lander's elaborate landing sequence of retro rockets, carefully timed parachute and the inflatable protective cushions all worked flawlessly to deliver the golf-cart sized Rover intact on the surface of Gusev Crater.
Although the lander's camera, supported on a tall mast above the landing site, gave a hint at what's to come, the roving itself won't begin for another few days.
The vast plain on which it landed is what NASA scientists hope turns out to be the "scientific sweet spot" that reveals clues to where the water on the planet disappeared to, and when.
As far as the camera can see are small rocks scattered on a perfectly flat surface in all directions, just the terrain the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit should be able to traverse easily.
