Mars Rover 'Opportunity' Nears Endeavor's Crater 'Spirit Point'

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover ‘Opportunity’ will revisit the rim of Endeavour crater on Mars, where its rover twin ‘Spirit’ finished its 6-year-long mission in May Driving commands sent up to Opportunity directed the six-wheel rover to make the final push toward Endeavour crater, a 14-mile-wide depression near the Martian equator that likely could be its final destination. The finish line for Opportunity, which should reach the crater's edge by Tuesday, is a site on the rim called "Spirit Point," named by the rover team members in honor of the rover's lost twin. Twin rovers Opportunity and Spirit completed their three-month prime missions on Mars in April 2004. Both rovers went on to extended missions, making important discoveries about the environment on ancient Mars. The milestone triggers excitement for an adventure back into a mission that amazed the world with colorful portraits of the landscape and the unmistakable geologic discoveries of a warm and wetter past. Endeavour crater is arguably the most important science target since landing. Opportunity will spend several months imaging the rim and interior of the crater, but does not plan to drive across because it could get stuck. Instead, it will traverse south along the rim in search of clay minerals, which scientists suggest form under wet conditions. While orbiting spacecrafts have extensively studied these clay minerals, Opportunity will mark the first to examine them directly on the ground.