Opportunity Peeks Over Mars Crater Rim

NASA’s Opportunity rover peeked over the rim of the crater in which it landed and was able to see the clamshell holder and parachute it discarded just before hitting the surface of Mars, scientists said Monday.

A photograph from Opportunity, released at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, showed the two objects distinctly, on a largely featureless surface.

“There is the hardware that we’ve littered the surface with,” said Michael Malin, a member of the mission science team.

The rover was shielded by a clamshell-like device during its entry into the atmosphere of Mars.

The photograph, when combined with pictures taken from orbit, helped confirm exactly where Opportunity landed on Mars on Jan. 24.

Scientists likened the landing to a hole-in-one by a golfer who cannot see the hole. Cushioned by air bags, the rover bounced and rolled across the martian surface right into a small crater, where Opportunity has plenty of exposed rock in reach of its robotic geologic instruments.

Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, are exploring opposite sides of the Red Planet on an $820 million mission to look for geologic evidence that Mars was once a wetter place that might have been hospitable to life.

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On the Net:

Rover Mission: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov