NASA - Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) patch.
September 10, 2014
Opportunity's Long Tracks on Crater Rim
From a ridgeline viewpoint, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recently recorded a scene looking back over its own tracks made from nearly half a mile (more than 700 meters) of southbound driving.
Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) recorded the component images on Aug. 15, 2014, from an elevated portion of the west rim of Endeavour Crater. A brief video places the scene into context with the rover's entire driving route of more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) since the mission's 2004 landing in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars. The video is online at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/?id=1325
The Pancam image in approximate true color is available at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA18604
The Opportunity mission has been investigating outcrops on the western rim of Endeavour Crater for three years. The crater spans 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. During Opportunity's first decade on Mars and the 2004-to-2010 career of its twin, Spirit, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project yielded a range of findings proving wet environmental conditions on ancient Mars -- some very acidic, others milder and more conducive to supporting life.
Image above: This scene from the Pancam on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks back toward part of the west rim of Endeavour Crater that the rover drove along, heading southward, during the summer of 2014. It combines exposures taken on Aug. 15, 2014, and is presented in approximate true color. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/rovers
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov
You can follow the project on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/MarsRovers
Image (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA / JPL / Guy Webster.
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