Home Plate (Mars)

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Image taken by Spirit, showing its microscopic imager moving into position over the layered rocks of 'Home Plate'.

For the baseball term, see Home plate. For the album by Bonnie Raitt, see Home Plate.

Home Plate is an informal nickname used by NASA scientists to refer to a geological feature on Mars currently under study by the Spirit rover, as of April 2006. It is a rocky outcrop that appears to show layered features. Its name comes from the similarity of its shape with a baseball home plate.

Home Plate is a rocky outcrop about the size of a large house, but with a flat-topped shape; from above, it looks vaguely pentagonal. It is located within the huge Gusev crater, just south of Husband Hill.

The feature is interesting to scientists because of its layered appearance. Spirit's twin, Opportunity, currently studying sites on the opposite side of the planet, has discovered numerous layered rocks, but Home Plate is the first example to be found at Spirit's site. It bears a striking similarity to Burns Cliff, a feature studied by Opportunity at Endurance crater.

Spirit arrived at Home Plate on sol 744 (February 7, 2006) and has completed a scientific investigation with her robotic arm; however there is speculation that she might return in the Martian spring.