NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Before the Grind

This approximate true-color image taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rock dubbed "Mazatzal" before the rover drilled into it with its rock abrasion tool. On sol 82, Spirit ground into a circular patch of the rock called "New York," then repeated this operation on sol 85 to complete the hole.

Several observations were made during this grinding process with the rover's suite of scientific instruments. Preliminary results suggest that fluid may have been present during Mazatzal's formation. Images from the panoramic camera's blue, green and red filters were combined to make this picture.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

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