Mars Pathfinder question.

Couldn't really find any info on this and I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, and if it has I apologize. Just redirect me to the direction I need to go and lock this.


I was looking through surface pictures of planets and came across this.
Mars Pathfinder

What camera took this picture? And how did the pathfinder avoid medium sized rocks and manage to collide with that huge rock? And whats on the one side of the rock that looks kind of like rusty tree moss?

Thanks. Again I apologize if these have been answered or discussed.

reply to post by Gnihton


Many scientist theorized this reddish color you see on the rocks on Mars especially the Pathfinder bumping into the rock called Yogi is oxidized iron. The photo of the Pathfinder was taken from the camera of the stationary platform of the Sojourner the other important or key part of the mission.

If I remember correctly the Pathfinder was being steered by using sensors and photographic visuals even with the delay of signals to steer the Pathfinder from Earth. Rik Riley



[edit on 13-6-2008 by rikriley]

hmmmm... interesting question. i only reply w/ no real answer in the hopes that refreshing this will bring it to someone else's attention that may have an answer for you.

my only "theoretical" answer to any of the questions would be to the "how did it keep from colliding w/ the rock?" i would think they had control over it remotely.

other than that, i am not a nasa or science expert, but DO find the speculations on this board quite fascinating and worthy of further contemplation (in most cases anyway =)~)

Originally posted by GnihtonI was looking through surface pictures of planets and came across this.
Mars Pathfinder

What camera took this picture?

The camera that was on the "Lander" portion of the pathfinder spacecraft took that picture. You can see part of the lander in the forground of the image. The part you see is the ramp the "Sojourner" rover used to roll off the lander.

And how did the pathfinder avoid medium sized rocks and manage to collide with that huge rock?

It didn't collide with that rock. It INTENTIONALLY got up very close so "Sojourner" could use its X-ray spectrometer to analyze the rock material.

Thanks for the helpful replies. I'm glad things are a little more clearer to me and not some NASA conspiracy. Thank you all, much appreciation.

When I designed the Mars rovers 1987 I at first had only a ramp that went down one side of the triangle pad,and in a moment of panic saw /imagined a situation where it was blocked by a large rock which would have TRAPPED the rover unless it backed up and risked toppling off a 1 foot drop like a TONKA toy(costing millions of dollars).So in a nightmare reaction I quickly erased my lines to unfurl the ramp from 2 ends so the rover team could choose whether to go off front or back.As it turned out,that actually came up as an issue when pathfinder overhead cam revealed that one ramps was "unstable" and was hung up on a rock,so the less risky track was taken down off the lander. The faces you probably can't see are serpents mostly though some have almost human faces. Life is abundant at all Mars lander and rover sites I've seen so far. Thirty two years of silence.I'm not a nasa employee so I won't get jailed or fined or lose my job or my living by disclosing my info because of their very strict gag order. If you remember the Spanish inquisition,Nazi holocaust or the killing of Gallileo,you will value my contributions more.