Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Opportunity Knocks on Mars

NASA's rover explores bedrock that could be ancient Martian surface

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 28, 2007 10:47 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – NASA’s Martian explorer Opportunity reached its first destination inside the cavernous Victoria Crater yesterday and prepared to get to work drilling into bright rock layers to collect data. The six-wheeled robot last month began the precarious decline into the crater, headed for a shiny piece of bedrock that scientists think is a relic of the ancient Martian surface, the AP reports.

Opportunity is now parked 40 feet below the rim at a 25-degree tilt—the steepest angle it has encountered since landing on the planet—while its sister rover Spirit explores a plateau on the other side of Mars for evidence of a volcano. The two robots, which landed on the planet three years ago, were originally slated for a three-month mission; this summer they survived a fierce dust storm that cut their power for weeks.

This photo released by NASA, taken by the Mars rover Opportunity's front hazard-identification camera, shows a wide-angle view looking down into and across Victoria Crater. NASA's rover Opportunity has reached its first stop inside a huge Martian crater and was poised Thursday to carry out the first science experiments but...
This photo released by NASA, taken by the Mars rover Opportunity's front hazard-identification camera, shows a wide-angle view looking down into and across Victoria Crater. NASA's rover Opportunity has...   (Associated Press)
This image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity after finishing an in-and-out maneuver to check wheel slippage near the rim of Victoria Crater, Opportunity re-entered the crater during the rover's 1,293rd Martian day, or sol, (Thursday Sept. 13, 2007) to begin a weeks-long exploration of the...
This image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity after finishing an in-and-out maneuver to check wheel slippage near the rim of Victoria Crater, Opportunity re-entered the...   (Associated Press)
This image released by NASA Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007, taken by the Mars rover Opportunity, shows a view from the rim of Mars' Victoria Crater about 130 feet from where controllers intend to start the rover's descent inside the crater. Scientists want the rover Opportunity to travel 40 feet down...
This image released by NASA Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007, taken by the Mars rover Opportunity, shows a view from the rim of Mars' Victoria Crater about 130 feet from where controllers intend to start the rover's...   (Associated Press)
This image provided by NASA shows Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity after entering Victoria Crater during the rover's 1,291st Martian day, or sol, (Sept. 11, 2007). The rover team commanded Opportunity to drive just far enough into the crater to get all six wheels onto the inner slope, and then...
This image provided by NASA shows Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity after entering Victoria Crater during the rover's 1,291st Martian day, or sol, (Sept. 11, 2007). The rover team commanded Opportunity...   (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)
A photo released by NASA ,shows a patch of bright-toned soil found by the Mars Rover Spirit so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it. The silica-rich patch, informally named Gertrude Weise after a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was...
A photo released by NASA ,shows a patch of bright-toned soil found by the Mars Rover Spirit so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it. The silica-rich...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Opportunity, Spirit turn 3 months into 3 years
Space.com

Opportunity's downhill battle
Wired

Countdown special: Opportunity, Spirit's 10 greatest hits
Space.com

 
NASA • Mars • Opportunity • Spirit • rover • robot • Victoria Crater

More Newser Stories

Built for 90 Days, Mars Rovers Mark 5 Years

Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts

$4M NASA Cut May Strand Mars Rover

7 Minutes of Danger in Mars Quest

Mars Rover Steps Into Crater
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne