Explanation:
Is it art?
If so, the paintbrush was the
Spirit robotic rover,
the canvas was the
soil on Mars,
and the artists were the
scientists and engineers
of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission.
This panoramic picture, created in 2004 and shown above compressed horizontally, was mostly unintentional -- the
MERS
team was primarily instructing Spirit to investigate rocks in and around
Hank's Hollow in a location called
Engineering Flats on Mars.
After creating the ground display with its treads, the
Spirit rover was instructed to
photograph the area along with itself in
shadow.
In 2010 as winter approaches in northern Mars, Spirit, still
mired in sand,
has been
placed in an energy saving "hibernating" mode until
spring arrives and more direct sunlight might be used to
power the robotic explorer.
