Fact Sheet
Leaving the Nest
Two months after arriving at Mars, the Opportunity rover finally climbed out of its nest this week -- the small Eagle Crater. It snapped this shot of the crater, showing its discarded landing platform and a light-colored rock outcropping that produced remarkable scientific results. Opportunity found strong evidence that the rocks formed in a wet environment, including some rocks that may have formed in the presence of gently flowing salty water, like that along a coastline. Opportunity is now heading toward a much later crater which is almost a half-mile away. [Credit: NASA/JPL]
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