Curiosity (rover) comparison to Pancam on the Mars Exploration Rovers, the MastCam-34 has 1.25× higher spatial resolution and the MastCam-100 has 3.67× higher spatial resolution. The region the rover is set to explore has been compared to the Four Corners region of the North American west. Gale Crater has an area similar to Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Colin Pillinger, leader of the "Beagle 2" project, reacted emotionally to the large number of technicians monitoring "Curiosity" descent, because "Beagle 2" had only four people monitoring it. The "Beagle 2" team made a virtue out of necessity; it was known that there was
Mars Exploration Rover one Martian year anniversary (669 sols or 687 Earth days) on November 20, 2005. "Opportunity" celebrated its anniversary on December 12, 2005. At the beginning of the mission, it was expected that the rovers would not survive much longer than 90 Martian days. The Columbia Hills were "just a dream", according to rover driver Chris Leger. "Spirit" explored the semicircular rock formation known as Home Plate. It is a layered rock outcrop that puzzles and excites scientists. It is thought that its rocks are explosive volcanic deposits, though other possibilities exist, including impact deposits or sediment borne by wind or