Mike Goes to Mars

During a hike at the Great Sand Dunes National Park with former colleague and occasional hiking buddy Scott Smith earlier this month, we ran across rocks strewn along the base of the dunes, not far from where a less than robust Medano creek petered out.

During a hike earlier this month, I was struck by how the Great Sand Dunes National Park mimicked the Martian landscape. Photo by Mike Sweeney/©2014

Ever the geek, I was struck by how the dunes landscape resembled the Martian landscapes I’d seen in photographs taken by the various Mars rovers over the years.

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recorded this view of various rock types at a waypoint called "the Kimberley" shortly after arriving at the location during the 589th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (April 2, 2014). The Kimberley was selected in 2013 as a major waypoint for the mission because of the diversity of rock types distinguishable in orbital images, exposed close together at this location in a decipherable geological relationship to each other. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech — NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover recorded this view of various rock types at “the Kimberley” after arriving at the location on Mars April 2, 2014. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech

I was curious as to how best exploit this opportunity to pay tribute to the spirit of the Mars rovers.

Always the curious rover, yours truly gets down and dirty to photograph rocks at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Photo by Scott Smith

So I dropped onto my belly, as Scott readily documented, and snapped a photo.

Our sojourn at the Great Sand Dunes ended shortly thereafter.

Mike Goes to Mars

MICHAEL SWEENEY PHOTOGRAPHY

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