Spirit is thought to have landed in the eastern portion of the landing ellipse within Gusev Crater. Quick Desktops X Marks The Spot Colorized Ellipse (HiRes) or Mono Ellipse (HiRes) All 3 Descent Images Fullsize Landing Ellipse at MSSS NASA TV Portal

NASA's Spirit rover has sent photographs of the site where it landed on Mars, officials said here late Saturday after receiving the newly transmitted images.

The images show part of the robot resting on a rocky plain, in front of an enormous boulder. The images are of excellent resolution, and were shown on screens in the mission control room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory here.

Spirit landed in the Gusev Crater, 15 degrees south of the Martian equator.

Shortly before, NASA announced that the robot had successfully deployed the solar panel that will power its equipment and protect it from Martian temperatures, which can drop to minus 100 degrees C.

A NASA announcer said the rover was now in "safe mode," signalling the start of the most ambitious exploration of the red planet ever undertaken -- three months searching for signs of water that would indicate present or past life on Earth's neighbor.

The Mars Rover Exploration A (Mer-A), dubbed Spirit, landed on Mars as planned at 8:35 pm Saturday (0435 GMT Sunday), after a six-minute plunge through the fiery Martian atmosphere.

Spirit's twin, Opportunity, is due to land on Mars on January 25 to conduct similar research on the opposite side of the planet.