Mars rover set for new discoveries
Source: Agencies |
August 9, 2011, Tuesday
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MONTHS after the death of the Mars rover Spirit, its twin is poised to reach the rim of a vast crater to begin a fresh round of exploration.
Commands sent to Opportunity have directed the six-wheel rover to make the final push toward Endeavour crater, a 22-kilometer-wide depression near the Martian equator that is likely to be its final destination.
At its current pace, and barring any hiccups, Opportunity should roll up to the crater's edge today. The finishing line is a spot on the ridge that has been nicknamed Spirit Point in honor of Opportunity's lost twin.
Command team member Ray Arvidson, of Washington University in St Louis, said: "I am totally pumped. We have been driving for so long."
The milestone injects a sense of adventure back into a mission that wowed the public with color portraits of the landscape and unmistakable geological discoveries of a warm and wet past.
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration rovers parachuted to opposite sides of Mars in 2004 for a three-month mission, but both have operated beyond expectation.
Spirit's journey ended in May after NASA ceased trying to contact it. It became trapped in sand and has been out of contact for more than a year.
Opportunity has been on a driving spree since 2008 after it crawled out of a much smaller crater and trundled south toward Endeavour, stopping occasionally to examine rock outcrops.
In early 2009, Opportunity caught its first peek of the uplifted rim on the horizon. At the time, scientists were unsure if the rover would make it all the way.
The roughly 11km journey took longer than the estimated two years. The rover, driving backwards to prevent its right front wheel from wearing out, could not travel as the crow flies because of obstacles. It has driven twice the distance.
Project manager John Callas, of the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the Endeavour crater could be the most important science target since landing.
Opportunity, which has logged more than 30km since landing, will spend several months imaging the rim and interior, which has been partially filled by rocks and sediments.
There are no plans to drive across the crater for fear of getting stuck, Callas said. Instead, the rover will traverse south along the rim in search of clay minerals thought to form under wet conditions.
While these clay minerals have been extensively studied by orbiting spacecraft, Opportunity will be the first to examine them on the ground.
Callas said: "We will probably spend years at this location. What a destination. It is not just one spot. There are kilometers of interesting geology to explore."
Commands sent to Opportunity have directed the six-wheel rover to make the final push toward Endeavour crater, a 22-kilometer-wide depression near the Martian equator that is likely to be its final destination.
At its current pace, and barring any hiccups, Opportunity should roll up to the crater's edge today. The finishing line is a spot on the ridge that has been nicknamed Spirit Point in honor of Opportunity's lost twin.
Command team member Ray Arvidson, of Washington University in St Louis, said: "I am totally pumped. We have been driving for so long."
The milestone injects a sense of adventure back into a mission that wowed the public with color portraits of the landscape and unmistakable geological discoveries of a warm and wet past.
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration rovers parachuted to opposite sides of Mars in 2004 for a three-month mission, but both have operated beyond expectation.
Spirit's journey ended in May after NASA ceased trying to contact it. It became trapped in sand and has been out of contact for more than a year.
Opportunity has been on a driving spree since 2008 after it crawled out of a much smaller crater and trundled south toward Endeavour, stopping occasionally to examine rock outcrops.
In early 2009, Opportunity caught its first peek of the uplifted rim on the horizon. At the time, scientists were unsure if the rover would make it all the way.
The roughly 11km journey took longer than the estimated two years. The rover, driving backwards to prevent its right front wheel from wearing out, could not travel as the crow flies because of obstacles. It has driven twice the distance.
Project manager John Callas, of the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the Endeavour crater could be the most important science target since landing.
Opportunity, which has logged more than 30km since landing, will spend several months imaging the rim and interior, which has been partially filled by rocks and sediments.
There are no plans to drive across the crater for fear of getting stuck, Callas said. Instead, the rover will traverse south along the rim in search of clay minerals thought to form under wet conditions.
While these clay minerals have been extensively studied by orbiting spacecraft, Opportunity will be the first to examine them on the ground.
Callas said: "We will probably spend years at this location. What a destination. It is not just one spot. There are kilometers of interesting geology to explore."
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