Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the rim of Endeavour Crater culminating a journey that has lasted three years. It went directly past Spirit Point, the rally point named after its twin rover Spirit and immediately to Odyssey Crater. Odyssey Crater is small (~20 meter) and at the lowest point along the rim of the much larger Endeavour Crater.
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| Odyssey Crater |
It is now only a matter of days until Opportunity starts making discoveries about the rocks around Odyssey Crater, which are different than the rocks on Mars that have been examined thus far. As I explained in a previous post:
The clays present in an around Endeavour Crater are different than any found by a Mars Rover before. They imply a warm and wet environment, much like clays examined by Opportunity at other sites, but what makes them different is their low-acidity level. It is thought that warmth, moisture, and low-acidity levels provide a suitable environment for the development of life. So while Mars Rover Opportunity will examine the clay and determine its properties, it will also be looking for signs of tiny fossils, which would provide evidence of past life on Mars. While no one expects to find evidence of past life in the clays around Endeavour Crater, it would be foolish of us not to look for it.
Something Remarkable Found Already?
Despite the fact that Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity just arrived at Odyssey Crater last night, it has already discovered an anomaly that might end up being an amazing discovery.
