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Mars Rover Steps Into Crater

NASA vehicle got second chance, after withstanding a two-month dust storm

By Zach Samalin,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 13, 2007 6:00 PM CDT

(Newser) – The dust has finally settled on Mars, and NASA's Mars rover Opportunity took its first steps Tuesday 13 feet into the half-mile-wide Victoria Crater—and then backed out after slipping beyond acceptable levels. With Opportunity's six wheels perched over the lip of the crater, researchers paused the operation in order to analyze data collected in the foray, Wired reports.

The mission has been delayed for months by dust storms that obscured the sun that powers Opportunity's solar  batteries. Project managers are still determining whether ground at the most accessible entry-point to the crater, called Duck Bay, is too loose to support Opportunity's descent. The hope is that the crater's rock formations will yield information about Mars' atmosphere from millions of years ago.

Image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity using its front hazard-identification camera to obtain this image at the end of a drive on the rover's 1,271st sol, or Martian day (Aug. 21, 2007). Opportunity's turret of four tools at the end of the robotic arm fills...
Image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity using its front hazard-identification camera to obtain this image at the end of a drive on the rover's 1,271st sol, or Martian day...   (Associated Press)
In this image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after it moved its robotic arm during the rover's 1,277th Martian day on Aug. 6, 2007 for the first time in 20 days. Teams operating Spirit and Opportunity have been keeping both rovers' activity levels very low...
In this image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after it moved its robotic arm during the rover's 1,277th Martian day on Aug. 6, 2007 for the first time in 20 days. Teams operating...   (Associated Press)
This image provided by NASA Wednesday July 17, 2007 shows an impact crater near Mawrth Vallis which is roughly 2.5 miles in diameter taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The crater may provide a glimpse into an intriguing period of Martian history, when liquid water may have been more...
This image provided by NASA Wednesday July 17, 2007 shows an impact crater near Mawrth Vallis which is roughly 2.5 miles in diameter taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The crater may provide a...   (Associated Press)
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