Western Rim of Endeavour Crater Digital Terrain Model

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The labeled image below is a digital terrain model (DTM) of the Western rim of Endeavour Crater overlain with a northward perspective from HiRISE and compositional data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM). This is the area Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been investigating since 2011.

Click to see hires version from HiRISE

This image has been instrumental in planning Opportunity's movements and continuously developing mission. As indicated in the image above, orbital data has identified areas where clay (red), sulfate (green), and volcanic (blue) minerals could be present. Clays and sulfates are indicative of a watery past on Mars as they often only form in the presence of significant moisture.

Opportunity is currently around Cape York, but heading south in an attempt to discover more about the geology of Endeavour Crater.

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Mars Photo of the Day - 22 Jul 2012

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Today's Image of Mars comes from Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during its fifth Martian winter. This image is a panorama of the rover's view from Greeley Haven during its winter stay at the location, between Sol 2811 (21 Dec 2011) and 2947 (8 May 2012) of its mission. The center of this image is looking North, while South is on both sides of the image. Imagine this image wrapped around you with both ends connected, so that you have a 360 degree view.

Center left in this image you can see the tracks left by MER Opportunity as it navigated through the area and up to Greeley Haven. The tracks have revealed that the bright soil we see over much of the surface is just a thin layer, under which lies darker soil. Future examinations of surface soil will likely require an examination of the top layer of dust and the underlying darker layer because the two layers are distinctly different.

In this image you can see the interior of Endeavour Crater on the right. On the left you can see bright wind blown deposits against an outcrop of Greeley Haven. North, northeast, and east of Greeley Haven  you can see even more bright deposits. At the center of the image is a bright patch called North Pole, which MER Opportunity examined in May 2012, as an investigation into bright wind-blown dust.

This panorama is a compilation of 817 different images taken by the rover's panoramic camera. I highly recommend you click on the image so you can see the high resolution version and zoom in on all the amazing features!

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Mars Photo of the Day - Jan 25 2012

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Today's Image of Mars shows Mars Rover Opportunity's magnificent view looking north from Greeley Haven, the rover's resting point for its fifth winter on Mars. This is just part of a 360 degree view that is being compiled by images from Opportunity.

In this image you can see the northern edge of Endeavour Crater's Cape York, which forms an ark across the upper half of the scene.You can also see features sculpted by wind at the front of this image. Opportunity will be monitoring the changes caused by wind throughout its stay at Greeley Haven in hopes that doing so will help scientists learn more about wind and the way it shapes the various features on Mars.

In addition to monitoring the wind, Opportunity will be conducting a radio-science investigation of the interior of Mars and inspecting the outcrops to determine their mineral composition and textures.

Clicking on this image will take you to the original high resolution image from NASA. [See their caption for this image]

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State Univ.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Jan 8 2012

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Today's Image of Mars is of 'Greeley Haven,' the site for Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's fifth winter resting point. Greeley Haven in near the northern tip of the Cape York segment of Endeavour Crater. 

Greeley Haven was selected by the MER team because of its interesting geological features and the fact that it lies on a North facing slope. Opportunity needs to spend the winter on a north facing slope in order to optimize its solar energy.

From this position Opportunity will take a 360° panorama of the surrounding area. The Mars rover will also study the terrain and material of Greeley Haven.

This image was taken on Sol 2793 of Opportunity's mission, which was on December 2 2011. Clicking on the image will take you to the original captioned image from NASA. 

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Mars Photo of the Day - Dec 1 2011

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Today's Image of Mars is of a simulated sunrise on Mars taken from the vantage point Cape York. This image was created by Stuart Atkinson using an image taken by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. He then inserted the Sun and and sky effects. Atkinson has dubbed this "Endeavour Sunrise." While he claims it is not  accurate, I will venture to say it is about as accurate an interpretation as you're going to get. The only thing more accurate would be if Opportunity was sending back full-color images.

[See a Sunset on Mars]

Clicking on this image will take you to Stuart Atkinson's post on The Road to Endeavour which contains this image. 

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Mars Photo of the Day - Oct 4 2011

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Today's Image of Mars is of Shoemaker Ridge, which is the next destination for Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.  Once again, Stuart Atkinson of The Road to Endeavour assembled and colored this amazing image. His work helps excite the whole world about Opportunity's exploration by transforming the raw images into beautiful scenes that make everyone who sees them envious of the Mars rover. 

Shoemaker ridge promises to provide a spectacular view of the surrounding area and very possibly the most amazing photos of Mars yet! We will definitely keep you updated with the Mars Photo of the Day!

This photo links to the post on The Road to Endeavour where this image of shoemaker ridge was compiled and colored from Oppy's raw images. 

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Mars Photo of the Day - Sept 23 2011

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Today's Mars Photo was taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE Camera and shows Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at the rim of Endeavour Crater.  This view of Oppy is one of the clearest of the rover on the rim of Endeavour Crater, but just in case you can't see it, it is pointed out in the animation.

The colorization and animation of this image were once again done by The Road to Endeavour and so the image will link to the article which hosts this picture.  

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Mars Photo of the Day - Sept 8 2011

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Today's Mars Photo shows a slab of exposed bedrock at Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's current location. Opportunity has pulled up to this heart-shaped bedrock and will likely be studying it for a few days. The rock has been named Chester Lake by the MER team for reasons currently unknown. 

This image is a compilation of photos as taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera. It was compiled and colored by Stuart Atkinson from The Road to Endeavour blog. Please note that this is not the true color, but it has been "enhanced and sharpened" to bring out subtle details on the rocks surface and in its surroundings." See a similar 3D image of this heart-shaped bedrock from the same blog.

Clicking this image will take you to the original, much larger image.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Sept 2 2011

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Today's Mars Photo shows the path taken by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in recent weeks. This photo was taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera. I kept the labels added on by NASA because I know how hard it is to remember where everything is when you hear about Opportunity's discoveries. Hopefully you can use this image as a reference.

Clicking on this image will direct you to an article about Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, its status and new mission. See the larger, original image.

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A Rock on Mars Unlike Any Other

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Today NASA held a teleconference on the current status of Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and its new mission. Opportunity has traveled much further, and lasted much longer than anyone could have hoped (see below for its path). Its original mission was to last about three months, but it has lasted more than 30 times longer.

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's  path is marked in yellow. The path is marked with numbers which represent the sol when Opportunity was at the labeled location.
Source: NASA

The Mars rover recently reached Endeavour Crater, which Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE and CRISM cameras determined has clay minerals along the rim that are of different from any previously examined by Mars rovers.

In recent days Opportunity has been examining Tisdale-2, a rock unlike any ever encountered by a Mars rover.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Sept 1 2011

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Today's Mars Photo is of of a large rock named Trailbraker that is located in the vicinity of Odyssey Crater and the Tisdale rock clan. This rock is larger than any of the rocks in the area, but will not be further investigated since Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is set to leave the Tisdale site and head north where the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected clays with a chemical composition never before examined.

This photo is as large as the original image, but you can still click it to see it hosted by NASA.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 31 2011

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Today's Mars Photo is a panoramic showing the remarkable geological smorgasbord around Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at Odyssey Crater This photo was taken directly from The Road to Endeavour Blog and is the combination of the photos taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera on Sol 2699. To see the original, larger, and zoomable image, simply click on the image itself.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 30 2011

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Today's Mars Photo is of Tisdale-1 as taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Sol 2694. The right side of Tisdale-1 seems to be very smooth, though broken up by the veins that scar the entire rock. This implies a high level of heat (likely from impact by the meteorite that created Endeavour Crater) may have fused different rocks together, thus making this a composite rock like the other Tisdales, which is likely why it is in that category in the first place. The veins on the surface throughout imply some form of erosion that took place after the formation of the rock, but by what we can only speculate.

Click the image to see the enlarged version from NASA.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 26 2011

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Today's Mars Photo was taken by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's navigation camera on Sol 2695 (two days ago). It shows an area along the rim of Endeavour Crater that likely contains material ejected on the impact that created the crater. Whether Opportunity will examine the rocks in this image is uncertain, but the Mars rover will likely spend a while on Tisdale (The rock from which this photo was likely taken). To see the original image simply click below.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 25 2011

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Today's Mars Photo was taken by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's Microscopic Imager on Sol 2694 (~ two days ago). This shows a portion of Tisdale that seems to lend credence to the speculation that the rock is a conglomerate that was fused together by the impact that created Endeavour Crater. While this is not verified it seems the most likely scenario. To see the original image simply click below.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 22 2011

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Today's Mars Photo is of Tisdale rock again, but this time the image shows just how close NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is to the rock. The photo was taken yesterday (Sol 2692). The Mars rover has likely begun performing tests as it attempts to learn more about the mysterious rock.

Photo of Tisdale Taken by MER Opportunity's Front HazCam on Sol 2692

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 19 2011

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Today's Mars photo is of the slab of rock that Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is set to begin examining. This rock has been given the name Tisdale and many expect that Opportunity will spend at least the next few days there, examining the rock itself and the surrounding area. Tisdale has been a target for the MER team since Opportunity first rolled up to Odyssey Crater.

Tisdale as taken from NASA's Panoramic camera on Sol 2688
Click the photo to go to see all of NASA's photos of Tisdale from Sol 2688.

See a rendering of Tisdale from Road to Endeavour

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The Importance of Mars Rover Opportunity's New Mission

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A few days ago Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity finally reached Odyssey Crater, which lies within the much larger Endeavour Crater. This is a huge milestone for the Mars rover, which has performed longer and traveled further on the Martian surface than anyone would have though possible when it landed in January 2004.

The question now is, what is so significant about Endeavour Crater? Why has Mars Rover Opportunity spent the last three years trying to get there? NASA and other people following the mission are excited, but the average person probably has no idea why. How is Mars Rover Opportunity's new location any different than its previous ones? What is its mission?

Endeavour Crater

Endeavour Crater is the largest crater ever explored by Mars Rover Opportunity and contains older geological deposits than it has ever encountered. This will allow Opportunity to get a better sense of how long there was water on the Martian surface and will even provide insight as to the quantity. That is simple enough; as the Mars rover did that in other craters as well; what is exceptional about Endeavour Crater is found around its rim.

What Makes This Mission Different


Mars Rover Opportunity has examined a large number of rocks and samples of Martian soil since it landed in January of 2004, but it has never encountered rocks like those found around Endeavour Crater. In the past Opportunity has examined clays that show signs of being formed under wet conditions, but when the Mars rover determined their chemical composition it was determined that they were very acidic. What makes Endeavour crater different is the composition of the clays surrounding it.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 16 2011

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Today's Mars Photo was taken by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Sol 2686. Today is Sol 2687 since Opportunity began its mission. This photo was taken around the perimeter of Endeavour Crater near the much smaller Odyssey Crater. These are just some of the rocks that Opportunity will be examining in the coming weeks. For the latest information about Mars Rover Opportunity's findings and mission, just click the image.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 12 2011

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Today's Mars photo of this day is Odyssey Crater as taken by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Odyssey crater is a small crater at the edge of the much larger Endeavour Crater. This has been Opportunity's goal for almost 3 years. For more information about this photo and why the location is so significant, just click on the photo itself!

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