Mars Exploration Rover Panoramic Camera Mast Assembly

What looks like the rover "neck and head" is called the Pancam Mast Assembly. It stands from the base of the rover wheel 1.4 meters tall (about 5 feet). This height gives the cameras a special "human geologist´s" perspective and wide field of view. The pancam mast assembly acts as a periscope for the Mini-TES science instrument that is housed inside the rover body for thermal reasons and provides a better point of view for the Pancams and the Navcams.