Sol 3968, March 24, 2015, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: With the drive on Sol 3968, Opportunity has traveled more than a marathon’s distance on the surface of Mars! This is the first time that any spacecraft has exceeded the 42.195 kilometers of a marathon on the surface of another world. It has taken more than 11 years, and there have been some significant rest stops along the way (stopping to explore the geology exposed in impact craters along the traverse), but it is a truly extraordinary accomplishment.
I’m the Engineering Camera Payload Uplink Lead this week, which means that I’m responsible for sending the commands to the Navigation cameras and front and rear Hazard cameras. This Navcam mosaic from Sol 3968 shows the view at the finish line of our marathon. “Spirit of St. Louis” crater is off to the left, with “Marathon Valley” in the distance, and the current plan is to investigate the bright “Athens” outcrop on the right side of the mosaic. [More at links]