La Bajada North

         This mosaic was acquired by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity from Sols 4878-4882 (October 13-17, 2017). About 110 degrees across at the widest point, the view in this mosaic is of a rock target named La Bajada where there is evidence of abrasion by wind-driven sand blowing upslope from the interior of Endeavor Crater. The rover team's winter strategy for Opportunity was to stop at north-facing locations between drives no longer than 20 meters (about 66 feet), which the team calls "lily pads", to make sure Opportunity could gather enough solar power to stay alive and keep moving through her eighth Martian winter. La Bajada was the rover's third lily pad inside of Perseverance Valley. More information about La Bajada can be found at the public release of the northern outcrop of La Bajada, which is also shown here in color. The southern outcrop and stereo anaglyph were imaged separately to conserve rover power during the winter. Pancam's 753 nm, 535 nm, and 432 nm filters were used in making this mosaic. Two versions are provided at full resolution: an approximate true color rendering, and a false color rendering which enhances the subtle color differences in the scene.

Jim Bell
Pancam Instrument Lead
February 28, 2018