Mars Rover Opportunity: PHOTOS From Endeavour Crater

After a nearly three-year journey, the Mars rover Opportunity on Tuesday reached the rim of the Endeavour crater, according to a statement from NASA and the Associated Press.

The rover traveled roughly 13 miles to reach Spirit Point, a location on the rim of the crater named after the Opportunity's sister rover, the Spirit, which NASA lost contact with in March of 2010. According a statement released Wednesday by NASA, the Opportunity will study rocks at the 14-mile diameter crater that until now have never been seen.

"Opportunity's findings and data from the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory will play a key role in making possible future human missions to Mars and other places where humans have not yet been," Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator, said in the statement.

Last week, NASA reported the discovery of possible flowing salt water on the red planet.

Check out the new images (below) from the Opportunity rover. All three photos are courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU and were taken by the rover's panoramic camera (Pancam).

Read the entire statement from NASA here.

West rim of Endeavour crater on Mars: (Click here for more information about this photo.)

Picture: Spirit Point on the rim of the Endeavour crater. (Click here for more information about this photo)

Picture: Odyssey crater on rim of much larger Endeavour crater. (Click here for more information on this photo.)

Comments

[SouthStJo]

03:16 PM on 08/13/2011

So...Who says unmanned space exploration isnt inspiring?

[SolarArray]

01:20 AM on 08/13/2011

HP adds a Celebrity Section, wow. Will we all learn a lot there. Where's something intelligent like a Science Section?
Thanks in advance.

[STfanboy]

12:55 AM on 08/13/2011

Always gives me goosebumps to see images like this that are from a different place besides Earth. Go NASA!!!!!!!

[GoogleMaster]

06:15 PM on 08/12/2011

Forty five miles outside Laredo Texas or the west rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars? You decide.

[steelej]

07:02 PM on 08/12/2011

I've made my decision, Endeavour Crater on Mars

[STfanboy]

12:59 AM on 08/13/2011

Yep me too. Definitely not Texas. More like the surface of Mars.

[PotholesInMyLawn]

04:37 PM on 08/12/2011

I'm not impressed.... it's pretty amazing... it's really not much to see... but wow it looks so cool. I'm sure it's fake... I wonder how NASA keeps doing such amazing work getting these amazing pics from Mars, I bet this cost so much money to keep the program running... money that could be used in other places... I hope they keep sending back such awesome shots like this. Too bad they can't drive over to the other rover and give it a jump start... I hope these two toys die and stopped sending fake pictures back...I wonder when the next mission to Mars is scheduled to arrive...
I can't wait to see more stuff like this,.

[MichaelMcKLA]

05:44 PM on 08/12/2011

Here, take this magnifying glass and go find a clue.

[PotholesInMyLawn]

04:59 PM on 08/13/2011

Take it easy old man... I was just having some fun.

[STfanboy]

01:01 AM on 08/13/2011

Its a Friday night. I would love to have what you are smoking.

[PotholesInMyLawn]

04:58 PM on 08/13/2011

My Federation friend... did u use your universal translator? Did you LOL?
If you did not LOL, please run a level two diagnostic on your Positronic Matrix.
Because I think emotion chip has stop working.

MakeItSo!

[Lauren Kottwitz]

03:29 PM on 08/12/2011

Coooooooooooooooooooool!

[eyelashviper]

12:50 PM on 08/12/2011

To the conspiracy theorists...yeah, it really is just an old photo of the desert outside of Las Vegas, taken in the 1950's, and there's an old airstream in the background...All that money going to NASA, and somebody just prints some old sepia photos..
and of course, it's all Obama's fault and them there soshulists.

[MickaloYaYa]

12:28 PM on 08/12/2011

If you really want to see Mars and all its glory go to Mars Anomaly Research web site. Mind blowing NASA facts as you never seen them.

[Desolati0n]

08:48 AM on 08/12/2011

I see no death star. I see no martians. What is this?

[PotholesInMyLawn]

04:30 PM on 08/12/2011

Arizona

[MichaelMcKLA]

05:46 PM on 08/12/2011

Ignorance is a bad thing but curable with an education. Willful ignorance indicates a serious personality disorder and is both sad and pathetic. The latter applies to you.

[Adrienne Lopez]

02:52 AM on 08/12/2011

I would rather see pics of the brown dwarf star thats heading our way..

[palindrom]

09:58 PM on 08/12/2011

Are you referring to Comet Elenin, which the conspiracy-o-sphere has decided is some kind of red dwarf death star?

It's not. Anything that massive would have grossly perturbed the orbits of the planets already. They're right where they should be.

One of the most sensitive measures of any changes would be changes in occultation timings of asteroids -- these are done by amateur astronomers, who operate entirely outside of government control (in case you're worried about a coverup). And the occultations are continuing right on schedule:

http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/Results

[Aneesia]

07:14 PM on 08/11/2011

Outstanding pictures. They look as good as if they were taken on this planet.

[montanason]

06:35 PM on 08/11/2011

Absolutely stunning aand should place our human experience in perspective.

[Makos62]

05:38 PM on 08/11/2011

It is amazing to see the landscape of another planet, and see all the comments on how it reminds people of parts of our own world.
Somehow, it makes Mars seem so much closer, and attainable.

[Gunfighter]

03:53 PM on 08/11/2011

No. Not all scientists are atheists.

[rebasfl]

02:59 PM on 08/11/2011

Why is there a camp trailer in the distance in photo #3? Reminds me of where I used to ride moto
in the Mojave.