Tag Archives: Opportunity

Opportunity: Rolling toward Perseverance

Posted on April 24, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4709, April 23, 2017. Four Navcam frames show the vista ahead as Opprtunity rolls toward the head of Perseverance Valley (arrow). Thanks to a long drive on Sol 4705, the rover has caught up with mission planners’ timeline for … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: Sights ahead

Posted on April 21, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4706, April 21, 2017. After a 19-meter (62-foot) drive, the rover’s Pancam surveyed the ground ahead. The left arrow points to the start of Perseverance Valley, the right arrow indicates a bright outcrop of rock to investigate, and the … Continue reading →

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Opportunity landing site in color

Posted on April 21, 2017 by rburnham

A new observation from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captures the landing platform that the rover Opportunity left behind in Eagle Crater more than 13 years and 27 miles (or 44 kilometers) ago. A series of bounces and tumbles after … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: Heading for the valley

Posted on April 20, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4705, April 19, 2017. The Navcam shows the way forward toward the head of Perseverance Valley, with Winnemucca mesa beyond. At right is a false-color view of the RATted area at Ogalalla (Holger Isenberg). Click either image to enlarge … Continue reading →

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Opportunity leaves Cape Tribulation

Posted on April 20, 2017 by rburnham

NASA’s senior Mars rover, Opportunity, is departing “Cape Tribulation,” a crater-rim segment it has explored since late 2014, southbound for its next destination, “Perseverance Valley.” The rover team plans observations in the valley to determine what type of fluid activity … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: RAT and roll

Posted on April 19, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4705, April 19, 2017. After doing a RAT-grind on the outcrop target Ogalalla, Opportunty drove more than 130 meters (430 feet) southward, leaving the outcrop behind. At top right, the right-side front Hazcam shows the rear view, while below, … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: RATting Ogalalla

Posted on April 18, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4704, April 18, 2017. On its path to Perseverance Valley, the rover drove across an area of flat rock, apparently bedrock. But what rock unit is it? As a target of, um, opportunity, the science team decided to drill … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: Looking around, looking down

Posted on April 14, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4699, April 13, 2017. At the foot of Cape Tribulation, there’s an exposure of flat-lying rock that scientists are examining. At right is a false-color image showing Opportunity’s “work plane” (where the instrument can reach). Above is another false … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: Pausing to check the surroundings

Posted on April 11, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4697, April 11, 2017. Having descended the the southern slope of the Cape Tribulation rim segment, mission controllers paused and shot some Pancam views of targets around the rover. Above is the view looking back uphill to the north, … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: Down on the flats again

Posted on April 10, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 4695, April 9, 2017. After a drive of about 40 meters (130 feet), Opportunity is now at the foot of the Cape Tribulation rim segment — and the vistas to the far south have largely disappeared, replaced by more … Continue reading →

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