RAT Bit

        This mosaic was acquired by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Sol 3000 (July 2, 2012). Celebrating its 3000th Sol on Mars, Opportunity took this image of her front deck, showing the JPL and NASA logos as well as the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT). The view of the RAT helped to assess the amount of wear on the drill bit. The image is a vertical projection. Pancam's 601nm, 535nm, and 482nm filters were used in this mosaic.  Two versions are available below at full resolution: an approximate true color rendering, and a false color stretch to enhance the subtle color differences in the scene.

Jim Bell
Pancam Instrument Lead
June 13, 2013