NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has captured new images of intriguing Martian terrain from a small crater near the rim of the large Endeavour crater. The rover arrived at the 13-mile-diameter (21-kilometer-diameter) Endeavour on Aug. 9, after a journey of almost three years.
Opportunity is now examining the ejected material from the small crater, named "Odyssey." The rover is approaching a large block of ejecta for investigation with tools on the rover's robotic arm.
Opportunity and Spirit completed their three-month prime missions on Mars in April 2004. Both rovers continued for years of bonus, extended missions. Both have made important discoveries about wet environments on ancient Mars that may have been favorable for
Opportunity's Studying Small Crater on Rim of Large Crater
Opportunity has begun the exploration of the rim of Endeavour crater.
The rover is examining the ejected material from a small crater on the rim of Endeavour, named "Odyssey." This small crater has exhumed and exposed the ancient Noachian material of Endeavour's rim.
Opportunity is in the process of approaching a large block of ejected material for further in-situ (contact) investigation.
On Sols 2683 and 2685 (Aug. 11 and 13, 2011), the rover performed a pair of drives to position herself for a close approach to the rock target.
On Sol 2688 (Aug. 16, 2011), the planned approach drive stopped early because the rover's visual odometry could not measure progress accurately due to a lack of visual features in the camera field of view.
The approach to the rock target is rescheduled in the plan ahead. There was a modest dust cleaning event between Sols 2681 and 2683 (Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, 2011).
As of Sol 2689 (Aug. 17, 2011), solar array energy production was 399 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 1.03 and a slightly improved solar array dust factor of 0.569.
Total odometry is 20.83 miles (33,519.03 meters, or 33.52 kilometers).
