Spirit Rover Reaches the Columbia Hills on Mars
The Spirit robotic rover on
Mars
has now reached the
Columbia Hills on Mars.
Two of the hills are shown on approach near the beginning of June.
The above true-color picture shows very nearly what a
human would see from Spirit's vantage point.
The red color of the
rocks,
hills, and even the
sky
is caused by pervasive rusting sand.
Spirit has now
traveled over 3 kilometers since it
bounced down onto the red planet in January.
The robotic explorer,
controlled and programmed remotely from Earth,
is now investigating a rock called
Pot of Gold.
On the other side of Mars, Spirit's twin
Opportunity
is now inspecting unusual rocks inside a pit dubbed
Endurance crater.