Veerle's blog

Time to get in Sci-Fi mode now, the US space agency’s Mars rover Spirit has sent back a complete 360-degree panoramic colour image of its location on the surface of the Red Planet. The composite picture provides a startling glimpse of an alien world, one which Spirit is due to begin investigating early on Thursday.

A high resolution version of the image will help scientists decide which parts of the landing site to explore. The presence of carbonates may indicate that some of the rocks formed in water. The rover should spend 90 days travelling several hundred metres to analyse rocks and soil for past evidence of water, one of the key requirements for life.