NASA has released this 360¹ panorama of the Ares Vallis region of Mars, taken by the US Mars Pathfinder lander which bounced down on to the Red Planet on 4 July (Flight International, 16-22 July). The Sojourner rover, also pictured among the rocky terrain, has been used successfully analysed the chemical composition of several rocks in the area, which is thought to be an ancient flood plain. The hills on the horizon, nicknamed "Twin Peaks", are less than 800m (2,600ft) away. Mission managers say than the Sojourner could be operated "indefinitely", and that the mission has been extended to a long-term project.
Source: Flight International