Breathtaking Panoramas and Mosaics From Opportunity’s Decade on Mars
Breathtaking Panoramas and Mosaics From Opportunity’s Decade on Mars
2 minute read
A false-color image of Endurance Crater. In this image, tendrils of sand less than 3.3 ft (1 m) high extend from the main dune field toward the rover. Dunes are a common feature across the surface of Mars. Before the rover headed down to the dunes, mission managers first established whether the slippery slope that led to them was firm enough to ensure a successful drive back out of the crater. Otherwise, the dune field would become a sand trap.NASA—JPL-Caltech / Cornell University
The revival of the auto industry is perfectly fine, but the hottest car around is a decidedly limited-edition one: the Opportunity rover, now celebrating its tenth year working and roving on the Red Planet. Like any old car, Opportunity has its flaws: one of its six wheels is shot, not all of its instruments are working as they once did and its robotic arm has dust in its joints. But the golf-car-sized vehicle, which came with just a three-month warranty (admittedly a low-ball figure that NASA engineers suspected it would easily beat) has lasted far longer than even the most optimistic mission planners predicted—and fours years longer than its sister rover, Spirit, which arrived on Mars at around the same time and winked out in 2010. In that decade, Opportunity has put more than 23 mi. (37 km).on its odometer and is still on the move. Opportunity went to Mars to do science, and it’s delivered splendidly on that score—with data streaming back about the chemistry and geology of Mars both today and in its distant past, and tantalizing hints to its biological potential. But humans are visual creatures, and it’s the pictures from the rovers—a small collection of which follow—that will always thrill us most. Happy birthday, Opportunity—and keep rolling.
Rover tracks disappear toward the horizon like the wake of a ship across the desolate sea of sand between the craters Endurance and Victoria on the Meridiani Plains. NASA— JPL-Caltech / Cornell UniversityThe Mars Rover Spirit took this sublime view of a sunset over the rim of Gusev Crater, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. NASA—JPL-Caltech / Texas A&M / CornellA false-color image of Endurance Crater. In this image, tendrils of sand less than 3.3 ft (1 m) high extend from the main dune field toward the rover. Dunes are a common feature across the surface of Mars. Before the rover headed down to the dunes, mission managers first established whether the slippery slope that led to them was firm enough to ensure a successful drive back out of the crater. Otherwise, the dune field would become a sand trap. NASA—JPL-Caltech / Cornell UniversityTiny spherules, photographed by Opportunity, pepper a sandy surface in this 1.2-in (3 cm) square view of the Martian soil. Nicknamed "blueberries" by mission scientists, the little pellets are actually hematites, an iron oxide typically formed in standing water—of which Mars once had plenty.NASA—JPL-Caltech / Cornell / USGS / Cathy WeitzSpirit obtained this view of the area called Home Plate while parked atop a formation called Husband Hill. The colors emphasize differences in rock weathering. A large dust devil appears as the V-shaped discoloration in the sky at the top right.NASA—JPL-Caltech / Cornell UniversityThe Opportunity rover used its panoramic camera to record the East Rim of Endeavor Crater, on October 31, 2010. The view is presented in false color to make differences in surface materials more visible. A portion of Endeavour Crater's eastern rim, nearly 19 miles (30 km) distant, is visible.NASA—JPL-Caltech / CornellNASA's Spirit rover acquired this false-color image after using its abrasion tool to brush the surfaces of rock targets informally named "Stars" (left) and "Crawfords" (right). Small streaks of dust extend for several centimeters behind the chips and pebbles in the dusty soil. NASA—JPL-Caltech / USGS / Cornell UniversityRover tracks disappear toward the horizon like the wake of a ship between the craters Endurance and Victoria on the Meridiani Plains. Opportunity took the image while stuck in the sand ripple dubbed Purgatory for over a month. This panorama (only partly shown here) was named Rub Al Khali after the “Empty Quarter” in the Arabian Desert.NASA—JPL-Caltech / Cornell University
