Astronomy Picture of the Day

At the Edge of Victoria Crater


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At the Edge of Victoria Crater


Explanation:

We're going in.

The robotic Opportunity rover currently
rolling across
Mars has been
prowling around the edge of the largest crater it has visited since
landing over three years ago.

It has been studying
Victoria crater and looking for a way in.

Now
scientists on Earth
have decided to take a
calculated risk and plan to send Opportunity
right into this ancient
Martian crater over the next few weeks.

Pictured
is
Cape St. Vincent, part of the wall of
Victoria Crater
next to where Opportunity will descend.

The wall itself appears to contain clues about the
Martian terrain before the impact
that created Victoria crater, and so will be
studied during the daring descent.

Above the crater wall, far in the distance, lays a relatively featureless
Martian horizon.




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