This first mosaic from Mars Pathfinder was taken at 9 A.M. in the martian morning after the spacecraft landed today at the mouth of an ancient flood channel. The morning sun was to the right in this view. The mosaic shows the Sojourner rover prior to its leaving the lander. The rover wheels are about 5.5 inches in diameter.
Nearby rocks appear draped by reddish windblown sand.
It is part of one of the first mosaics returned by the mission and shows portions of the airbag landing system, as well as the simulated Martian surface. The surface materials seen in this picture comprise rocks, and fine particles too small to be resolved. A prominent rock 22 cm across and 14 cm high is seen in the right half of the image near a deflated airbag and a spacecraft solar panel. The rock is in a shallow pit of fine particles that may have been sculpted by the wind. The rock shows pits that may be volcanic or erosional in origin.