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 - 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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Opportunity Begins Exploration of Odyssey Crater

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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.

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.

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Mars Rover Opportunity Set to Begin Exploring Endeavour Crater

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Two Rovers a Planet Away

When Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on opposite sides of The Red Planet in January of 2004 they had missions that were to last 90 sol (~92.47 days). These missions were extended numerous times as the lifespans of both rovers far exceeded the wildest dreams of the mission coordinators. The two Mars Rovers have traversed and analyzed more Martian terrain than anyone believed they would, observing and discovering remarkable things about the Martian planet, everywhere from observation of astronomical phenomena from Mars to discovering water-altered rocks and even carbonates. It was thus with great sadness that NASA lost contact with and aborted Spirit on May 25, 2011. Even though its twin was lost, there is still Opportunity to analyze Mars and give humanity a better understanding of The Red Planet and its current environment. It is Opportunity's latest venture that we follow today.

An Artist's Rendering of Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity

Endeavour Crater

Opportunity's journey toward Endeavour Crater began in August 2008. It has been a long three years, but now the Mars Rover is just days from reaching its target at the rim of Endeavour Crater, code named Spirit Point in memory of Mars Rover Spirit. 

Panoramic sent back to Earth by Mars Rover Opportunity Aug 6 2011 - Labeled by The Road to Endeavour

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