'Opportunity' on Mars

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'Opportunity' on Mars

The second in a series of U.S. rovers sent to explore the planet

Meridiani Planum

Mars, Opportunity, is scheduled to touch down at approximately 12:05 a.m. EST on Sunday, January 25, 2004. Opportunity’s twin, the rover Spirit, successfully touched down on Mars on January 4, 2004 and began sending back pictures of the red planet almost immediately. Opportunity was launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:18:15 p.m. EST on Monday, July 7, 2003. The seven-month, 456 million kilometer (283 million mile) cruise is expected to end when the ship touches down on the region of Mars known as Meridiani Planum. This region is located on the opposite side of the planet from Gusev Crater where Spirit is currently exploring. The site was chosen because orbital analysis of the region shows high concentrations of hematite, an iron-based mineral that usually forms in the presence of water on the planet Earth.

The Mars Exploration Rovers are full-fledged sport utility vehicles, weighing in at nearly 180 kilograms (400 pounds) each. One of the main goals of the rovers is to gather evidence about the history of liquid water on Mars. For more up-to-date information about Opportunity's journey or the Mars rover program, visit NASA’s Mars Rover site.

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Images courtesy of NASA