'Point Lake' Outcrop in Gale Crater . photonado

Versions: 75 100 250 500 650 800 1024 1600 Original

'Point Lake' Outcrop in Gale Crater

Figure 1 Click on the image for larger version One priority target for a closer look by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity before the rover departs the "Glenelg" area east of its landing site is the pitted outcrop called "Point Lake," in the upper half of this image. The outcrop as seen from this angle is about 7 feet (2 meters) wide and 20 inches (50 centimeters) high. The texture, with its voids or cavities, sets Point Lake apart from other outcrops in the vicinity. A closer inspection may yield information about whether it is a volcanic or sedimentary deposit. This image was taken by the right (telephoto-lens) camera of the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on the rover during the 193rd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 20, 2013). It has been white-balanced to show what the rock would look like if it were on Earth. A raw-color version, as recorded by the camera under Martian lighting conditions, is available as Figure 1. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/mars , and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .

Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Image released by NASA on 2013-06-05 as catalog id PIA17071