{Mars} Rover nears crater science trove (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Nasa's robotic Mars rover Opportunity is closing in on what could be the richest scientific "treasure trove" of its mission so far.

Within the next two weeks, Opportunity should reach the rim of a crater wider and deeper than any it has visited in more than two-and-a-half years on Mars.

Rocks exposed in the walls of Victoria Crater could open a new window into the geological history of the Red Planet.

Opportunity has been exploring Mars' Meridiani Plains since January 2004.
***
"We have a fully functional vehicle with all the instruments working.
We're ready to hit Victoria with everything we've got," said Byron Jones, a rover mission manager at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5322962.stm

[denverbill]

1. Incredible. Those things have lasted 30 months.

Kudos to the engineers!

[Tesha]

6. That's because they're *NOT* running Microsoft Windows.

(They're running VxWorks.)

Tesha

[Ready4Change]

2. They should be pink with bunny ears.

They keep going, and going...

It's a wonderful thing.

[freethought]

3. That is AWESOME!!!

BBC reporting this, eh! That Figures! In the US media this is sooooo two years ago.

It's awesome and great to hear at least one of those rovers is still up there doing stuff. I thought I remembered hearing that Spirit had lost function of a wheel or something to that effect.
I can say that I am glad that Oppurtunity is a machine. I recall the photographs that were taken, Mars seems like such a lonely and forlorn place, cold and desolate.

Still, I'm going to keep up with this as it develops. GO NASA!

[FogerRox]

4. I guess the warrenty has expired......

This is something to be very proud of.

[Massacure]

5. NASA thought they originally would only last 90 days.

Getting 10x the kick isn't a bad result at all. The batteries have to die sooner or later, its surprising that the cold Martian winter hasn't killed them already.

[Wilms]

7. NASA Rover Opportunity Takes First Peek Into Victoria Crater

NASA Rover Opportunity Takes First Peek Into Victoria Crater

September 19, 2006

On Monday, NASA's Mars rover Opportunity got to within about 160 feet of the rim of the half-mile-wide Victoria Crater, the rover's destination since late 2004.

The new position gave Opportunity a glimpse of the crater's opposite wall.

snip

The width of Victoria crater is the equivalent of eight football fields placed end to end. That makes it about five times wider than "Endurance Crater," which Opportunity spent six months examining in 2004, and about 40 times wider than "Eagle Crater," where Opportunity first landed.

snip

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2006-111

[hunter]

8. Amazing, utterly amazing.

:) :) :) :) :) :thumbsup: :thumbsup: to all the engineers!