Spirit Drives to a Rock Called "Adirondack" for Close Inspection

(NASA)

This true color image, released Monday and taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows "Adirondack," the rover's first target rock. Spirit traversed the sandy martian terrain at Gusev Crater to arrive in front of the football-sized rock Sunday, just three days after it successfully rolled off the lander. The rock was selected as Spirit's first target because its dust-free, flat surface is ideally suited for grinding. Clean surfaces also are better for examining a rock's top coating. Scientists named the angular rock after the Adirondack mountain range in New York. The word Adirondack is Native American and is interpreted by some to mean "They of the great rocks." (Shenzhen Daily)