Sol 4590, December 22, 2016. In the last two sols, Opportunity drove a short distance (6.4 meters, 21 feet) up the slope. From there, the Pancam took a westward-facing profile of Beacon Rock on the skyline (above). From this lower viewpoint, the summit appears to consist mostly of small and mid-size rocks, all close together. Perhaps the wind blowing over the ridge from the east has removed much of the sand and dust “soil” around them.
Below, the Navcam shot four frames centered on northeast. A close look at the right two frames in the enlarged composite shows the rover tracks heading upslope to this point. (Click either image to enlarge.)
Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, a location map, and atmospheric opacity, known as tau.
