Although the media spotlight is still well and truly shining on “Curiosity”, on the other side of Mars, “Opportunity” is still as busy as ever on the edge of the huge Endeavour crater, working her way down the eastern flank of Cape York, searching for precious clay deposits as she heads south, eventually to drive off Cape York and head across the flat expanse of Botany Bay and then begin to climb up Cape Tribulation.
The latest images to be sent back by Oppy show she is paying some attention to an area of rocky plates on the edge of the Cape…
The Sun was close to setting when Oppy took these images, and on one of them there’s a beautiful view of the rover’s own – now familiar – shadow being cast on the rough ground beside her…
But I know what you really want – 3D right? Ok here you go…
Maybe Oppy will do some drilling here, or maybe she’ll just take some pics with her microscope and then head on south, looking for a nice fat clay rich outcrop to study! We’ll have to wait and see. Check back soon. In the meantime, here’s a very striking view of that setting Sun, as seen by Oppy’s hazard cameras…
By the way, I’m sure you’ve heard the very sad news about Neil Armstrong passing away. Over on my “Cumbrian Sky” blog I’ve put down some thoughts about that, about him, and what it all means. I hope you’ll go and take a look.
The Road To Endeavour 