QUESTION:
Around the time of the landing, there were comments concerning the 'flat
topped rocks' visible behind Sojourner and questions were voiced as to how
these rocks could come about on Mars. It is therefore surprising that 30
days into the mission, these rocks have been overlooked in favor of other,
seemingly less startling, objects. When do you plan to investigate these
rocks, and what conclusions or theories have already been drawn about their
origin?

ANSWER from David Mittman on August 14, 1997:
Although questions about the origin of Flat Top and Little Flat top are
still being asked, there is little additional investigation that can be
performed on these two rocks. Both rocks have been imaged by the Imager for
Mars Pathfinder (IMP) in many filters and those images have been received by
the project scientists. The APXS cannot shed additional light on the rocks'
origin because their flat tops are covered with the same dust which coats
much of the surface of Mars, and the APXS cannot analyze the sides of the
rocks as they are too short.

Thanks for your question.