Mars Rovers Returns Images of Victoria Crater

Posted on October 2, 2006

The BBC reports that Enduring, one of NASA's enduring Mars rovers, is returning pictures from the Victoria Crater on Mars.

Nasa's scientists are excited about what Opportunity will find in the crater.

The US space agency's robotic rover Opportunity has been sending back images as it approaches the edge of an 800m-wide crater on Mars.
Opportunity has been making its way to Victoria Crater for the past 21 Earth months - about half its mission.
The rover is moving towards a recess on the crater rim to get a prime view.
The depression has high walls with layers of exposed rock that should reveal significant new information about the Red Planet's geological past.

USA Today says scientists will search images to find the safest spot possible for Opportunity to enter the crater.

"This is a geologist's dream come true," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University, principal investigator for NASA's twin rovers Opportunity and Spirit, told Space.com. "Those layers of rock, if we can get to them, will tell us new stories about the environmental conditions long ago. We especially want to learn whether the wet era that we found recorded in the rocks closer to the landing site extended farther back in time. The way to find that out is to go deeper, and Victoria may let us do that."
Opportunity will spend a day looking for a more favorable spot around the rim to take a panorama of the vista. Meanwhile, scientists are plotting Opportunity's next move and analyzing the images to find the safest route for the rover to enter.

You can find more information about the rovers on NASA's Mars rover website.

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