Trench
The Opportunity rover acquired this mosaic of a trench made by its front wheel on Sol 372 (Feb. 09, 2005). The rovers are capable of locking a wheel and using it as a digging tool while turning the others, providing a view under the topmost layers of Martian soil. This way, scientists can gather information on soil composition a few centimeters beneath the surface. This trench is about 20 centimeters wide and about a meter long.
This mosaic was acquired in Pancam's 753-nm, 535-nm, and 432-nm filters. Two versions are offered here at full resolution: an approximately true color rendering, and a false color stretch to bring out subtle color differences in the scene.
Jim Bell
Pancam Instrument Lead
April 8, 2008
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