PIA00661: Forward Ramp & Low Gain Antenna
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Pathfinder (MPF)
 Spacecraft:  Mars Pathfinder Lander
 Instrument:  Imager for Mars Pathfinder 
 Product Size:  1280 x 960 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Producer ID:  P48890 MRPS81204
 Addition Date:  1997-07-10
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA00661.tif (1.099 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA00661.jpg (176.7 kB)


Original Caption Released with Image:

Mars Pathfinder's forward rover ramp can be seen successfully unfurled in this color image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. This ramp was not used for the deployment of the microrover Sojourner, which occurred at the end of Sol 2. When this image was taken, Sojourner was still latched to one of the lander's petals, waiting for the command sequence that would execute its descent off of the lander's petal. The image helped Pathfinder scientists determine whether to deploy the rover using the forward or backward ramps and the nature of the first rover traverse. The metallic object at the lower part of the image is the lander's low-gain antenna. The square at the end of the ramp is one of the spacecraft's magnetic targets. Dust that accumulates on the magnetic targets will later be examined by Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer instrument for chemical analysis. At center, a lander petal is visible.


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