Mars Rover As Ski Bunny, Examining Sides of Crater Wall

Mars Rover Opportunity, last seen plunging into the biggest crater of its short life, has reached its first target point, and is taking a breather for some scientific work, NASA says.

The last week has seen the rover make several successive forays down the side of the half-mile wide crater, aiming for a band of exposed stone that scientists hope will tell them about atmospheric conditions on Mars millions of years ago, when the exposed material was believed to lie on the surface.

It's tough going for the little explorer, with the crater sides reaching at least advanced level ski-slope inclines at times. But so far, so good; Opportunity is now situated on the steep slope with its robotic arm extended, ready to examine the target after a few safety checks are completed.

"We have completed several successful drives with Opportunity inside
Victoria Crater," said John Callas, Mars rover project manager at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "The rover is experiencing slopes as high as 25 degrees at some places, but wheel slippage has only been around 10 percent."

The trip will let researchers examine the light-toned stone layer at several locations around the crater, before Opportunity turns around for the uphill climb, NASA says.

Opportunity Reaches First Target Inside Crater [NASA press release]

(Image: Opportunity's robot arm extends towards the rock layered on the side of Victoria Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.)