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| Opportunity Rover |
SAN FRANCISCO – NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is chugging toward some interesting mineral deposits on the rim of a fresh crater, guided by a sharp set of eyes from above.
Opportunity arrived at Mars' Santa Maria crater in the last few days, and it should make it to the crater's southeast rim in a few weeks. Once there, it will investigate a patch of minerals that likely formed in the presence of water billions of years ago, researchers said here today (Dec. 16) during a press conference at the 2010 fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The rover knows where to look thanks to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which detected the minerals, known as hydrated sulfates, from 150 miles (250 kilometers) up while circling the Red Planet. This level of teamwork between rover and spacecraft is unprecedented, researchers said.
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| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
The Santa Maria stop marks a slight detour for Opportunity, which is making its slow, steady way to a giant crater called Endeavour. space.com
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