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Mars Rovers Break Driving Records, Examine Salty Soil

Thursday, March 3, 2005

Naturaliste Crater

'Naturaliste' Crater Opportunity Sol 387
3/1/05

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this view of the rover's surroundings on Opportunity's 387th martian day, or sol (Feb. 24, 2005). Opportunity had driven about 73 meters (240 feet) and reached the eastern edge of a small crater dubbed "Naturaliste," seen in the right foreground. This view is the right-eye member of a stereo pair presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric and brightness seam correction.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL

2900x500 110KB

On three consecutive days, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity accomplished unprecedented feats of martian motion, covering more total ground in that period than either Opportunity or its twin, Spirit, did in their first 70 days on Mars.

Spirit, meanwhile, has uncovered soil that is more than half salt, adding to the evidence for Mars' wet past. The golf-cart-size robots successfully completed their three-month primary missions in April 2004 and are continuing extended mission operations.


More: JPL - Mars Rovers Break Driving Records, Examine Salty Soil

Link: USGS Astro - Mars Exploration Rover Project


Posted by BlogAdmin in MER at 13:48

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