Heat Shield

        This mosaic was acquired by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Sol 344 (January 11, 2005). The image shows the rover's heat shield, found lying on the plains of Meridiani Planum. The rover's tracks can be seen leading closer to the shield, where Opportunity gathered information about the shield's performance. Pancam's 753nm, 535nm, and 432nm 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