Explanation:
Is it art?
Here 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.
The picture created 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
silhouette.
Both Mars rovers,
Spirit and
Opportunity, are now back in contact
after an expected
radio blackout caused by Mars moving behind the Sun.
NASA has also
announced that it is extending the rovers missions
for six months, so long as they keep working.
Today:
Day and night have equal duration
