I hope you’re not tired of seeing HiRISE images of Phoenix, but this one shows the grandeur of Mars compared to the tininess of our spacecraft. Remember the close-up image of Phoenix descending to Mars’ surface with its parachute? Well, the HiRISE folks were holding back on us. Above is the jaw-dropping full image, with the inset being the close-up of Phoenix! What an amazing vista, and our little Phoenix is just a tiny pixel or two in the entire image. That the imaging team found Phoenix in this photo is incredible. And no, Phoenix is not heading into the crater, as it appears. The lander is actually about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) in front of the crater. This is just so amazing.
Tell me when you’ve had enough of these images, but I’m saying, “Keep ’em coming!”
I love HiRISE even more.
BTW, the crater is informally called “Heimdall,” and is about 10 km (6 miles) wide.
Original Source: JPL Phoenix News
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