A comparable flood on Earth would be one that filled the Mediterranean Basin. It is these indications of water, and plenty of it, that have scientists thinking the planet may have supported life in some form. Dramatic pictures 'a wonderful surprise' An artist's rendering of future probes in Mars For non-scientists, the most spectacular feature of the mission was undoubtedly the pictures Pathfinder beamed back. A couple of hours later, NASA released the first spectacular full-color views of the planet. For the next few weeks, both the lander and the rover continued sending back stunning color photographs showing a red, dusty, barren, water-scarred surface.
Scientists say they are amazed by the colors in the pictures, and by the variety of rocks.
We hadn't anticipated the amount of color information that we're seeing. The timer turns the lander systems on when the sun rises. Battery-powered activities are conducted on the fifth night. Eventually, the batteries would no longer charge. At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, team members said good-bye to the lander and its little rover.