This is a picture of part of the surface of Mars, taken from the Mars Pathfinder. The Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997, and as of this writing is still sending back images and data.
This picture was taken using the IMP (Imager for Mars Pathfinder), a camera developed and built by a group in this department.
As can be seen, several rocks in the picture are labelled. Rocks are given names so that they can be referred to easily by the scientists. Names like "couch," "Yogi," and "Barnacle Bill" are easier to remember than long sequences of letters and numbers.
PtyS 195 (Colloquium 4), being offered this semester, is all about the exploration of Mars.
Colloquium 2 of PtyS 195 deals with life on Mars, in both fact and fiction.
PtyS 106 is the regularly-offered course that talks the most about Mars.
PtyS 403, PtyS 407, and PtyS 411 also partly deal with Mars.
Some other places you can find information on Mars include:
You can find more information on the IMP at:
The Imager for Mars Pathfinder
