Mars rover reaches crater rim
Posted: Thu, Sep 28, 2006, 6:57 AM ET (1057 GMT)
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the edge of a large impact crater, a major milestone for a mission that has lasted much longer than originally anticipated. Opportunity has reached the rim of the crater Victoria, approximately 60 meters deep and nearly a kilometer in diameter. Scientists initially plan to use the rover to study some rocky outcroppings along the crater rim before deciding how to further explore the crater. Initial images of the crater rim showed evidence of stratification, which could have been caused by liquid water on the Martian surface early in its history. Opportunity has been on the planet since January 2004 and has traveled nearly 10 kilometers, most of that in transit to Victoria. The rover continues to operate well despite having exceeded its originally planned lifetime by a factor of ten. Opportunity's twin, Spirit, is on the other side of the planet, is also still operating, but is staying in place until after the end of the Martian winter.
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the edge of a large impact crater, a major milestone for a mission that has lasted much longer than originally anticipated. Opportunity has reached the rim of the crater Victoria, approximately 60 meters deep and nearly a kilometer in diameter. Scientists initially plan to use the rover to study some rocky outcroppings along the crater rim before deciding how to further explore the crater. Initial images of the crater rim showed evidence of stratification, which could have been caused by liquid water on the Martian surface early in its history. Opportunity has been on the planet since January 2004 and has traveled nearly 10 kilometers, most of that in transit to Victoria. The rover continues to operate well despite having exceeded its originally planned lifetime by a factor of ten. Opportunity's twin, Spirit, is on the other side of the planet, is also still operating, but is staying in place until after the end of the Martian winter.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, January 16
Sierra Space’s Resilient GPS Satellite Program Reaches Key Milestone
Business Wire — 7:22 am ET (1222 GMT) Slingshot Aerospace Selected to Provide Technology to USSF to Detect GPS Jamming and Spoofing Threats to International Security
Business Wire — 7:22 am ET (1222 GMT) 11 Korean traditional poems headed for moon on U.S. lunar lander
Chosun Ilbo — 7:21 am ET (1221 GMT) Stoke Space Announces $260 Million in New Investment
Business Wire — 7:21 am ET (1221 GMT) A "more powerful" Space Force requires upgraded arsenal, says Kendall
Axios — 7:20 am ET (1220 GMT) |
