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  • full-circle view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit

    'Calypso' Panorama of Spirit's View from 'Troy' (False Color)

    This full-circle view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the terrain surrounding the location called "Troy," where Spirit became embedded in soft soil during the spring of 2009.

  • full-circle view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit

    'Calypso' Panorama of Spirit's View from 'Troy'

    This full-circle view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the terrain surrounding the location called "Troy," where Spirit became embedded in soft soil during the spring of 2009.

  • stereo view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit

    'Calypso' Panorama of Spirit's View from 'Troy' (Stereo)

    This full-circle, stereo view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the terrain surrounding the location called "Troy," where Spirit became embedded in soft soil during the spring of 2009.

  • A regional dust storm moved southward and blocked some of the sunshine at Spirit's location.

    Opportunity's traverse map through Sol 1975

    Where are the rovers now? Opportunity's traverse map through Sol 1975.

  • In this image from Aug. 12, 2009, rover team members are moving a board used in getting the setup ready for the next test.

    Laying the Groundwork for a Rover Test

    A test setup at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory enables experiments with maneuvers being considered for use by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit to get Spirit out of soft soil where it has become embedded.

  • This telescopic view from orbit around Mars catches a Martian dust devil in action in the planet's southern hemisphere.

    Martian Dust Devil with Track and Shadow

    This telescopic view from orbit around Mars catches a Martian dust devil in action in the planet's southern hemisphere.

  • This image of Victoria Crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

    Oblique View of Victoria Crater

    This image of Victoria Crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at more of a sideways angle than earlier orbital images of this crater.

  • The triangular pattern of small ridges seen at the upper right in this image and elsewhere on the rock is characteristic of iron-nickel meteorites found on Earth.

    Magnified Look at a Meteorite on Mars

    NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its microscopic imager to get this view of the surface of a rock called "Block Island" during the 1,963rd Martian day.

  • This view of a rock called Block Island, the largest meteorite yet found on Mars.

    'Block Island' Meteorite on Mars, Sol 1961 (False Color)

    This view of a rock called 'Block Island,' the largest meteorite yet found on Mars, comes from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.

  • This iron-nickel meteorite found near Fort Stockton, Texas, in 1952 shows a surface texture similar to some portions of the surface of an iron-nickel meteorite that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found on Mars in July 2009.

    Iron-Nickel Meteorite from Texas with Triangle-Pattern Texture

    This iron-nickel meteorite found near Fort Stockton, Texas, in 1952 shows a surface texture similar to some portions of the surface of an iron-nickel meteorite that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found on Mars in July 2009.

  • Panelists reviewed results to date from testing possible maneuvers to use in driving NASA's Mars Rover Spirit

    Review of Options for Driving Spirit

    Panelists reviewed results from testing possible maneuvers to use in freeing Spirit.

  • Composition measurements by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity confirm that this rock on the Martian surface is an iron-nickel meteorite.

    'Block Island' Meteorite on Mars, Sol 1961

    Composition measurements by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity confirm that this rock on the Martian surface is an iron-nickel meteorite.

  • Composition measurements by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity confirm that this rock on the Martian surface is an iron-nickel meteorite.

    'Block Island' Meteorite on Mars, Sol 1961 (Stereo)

    Composition measurements by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity confirm that this rock on the Martian surface is an iron-nickel meteorite.

  • Opportunity Traverse Map update until Sol 1961

    Opportunity's traverse map through Sol 1961

    Where are the rovers now? Opportunity's traverse map through Sol 1961.

  • Block Island in Sight

    Block Island in Sight

    Scientists will be using an instrument on the Opportunity rover to test the rock and see if it is a meteorite.

  • Block Island Close-up

    Block Island Close-up

    This is a picture of "Block Island," an odd-shaped, dark rock, which may be a meteorite.

  • Rover testing maneuvers in a sandbox at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory aimed to help free the Spirit rover stuck on Mars.

    Uphill Climb

    Mars Exploration Rover team members continued longer-duration test runs this week, driving the test rover forward and uphill in a crab-like position.

  • Rover team members discuss the next step in preparing for a new phase in testing of possible moves for getting NASA's Mars rover Spirit out of a sandtrap on Mars.

    Sandbox Tracks from Rover Testing

    Rover team members at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., on July 24, 2009, discuss the next step in preparing for a new phase in testing of possible moves for getting NASA's Mars rover Spirit out of a sandtrap on Mars.

  • NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo, 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings

    Opportunity's Surroundings on Sol 1950 (Stereo)

    NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo, 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (July 19, 2009).

  • NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings

    Opportunity's Surroundings on Sol 1950 (Vertical)

    NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (July 19, 2009).