Mars rover 'on the brink' of major discovery
The Victoria crater reveals layers of rock of interest to geologists
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Friday, 06, Oct 2006 05:21
Nasa scientists have unveiled striking new photographs of a large Martian crater taken by its robotic rover buggy, Opportunity.
Victoria crater, which is five times larger than any other Opportunity has visited since it landed on the planet in early 2004, could reveal fundamental facts about the geological makeup of Mars, scientists say.
Opportunity is set to navigate its way down into the middle of the crater, where it hopes to take extensive pictures of rock exposures at least 50 feet thick. Up to 28 "previously unseen" layers of rock have already been identified.
"The ground-truth we get from the rover images and measurements enables us to better interpret features we see elsewhere on Mars, including very rugged and dramatic terrains that we can't currently study on the ground," Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona said.
Nasa scientists are especially excited by the co-ordinated efforts between Opportunity on the ground and the Mars Global Surveyor, which has been taking aerial photographs of the planet from its station in orbit.
"The combination of the ground-level and aerial view is much more powerful than either alone," Steve Squyres, the principal investigator for Opportunity, explained.
"If you were a geologist driving up to the edge of a crater in your jeep, the first thing you would do would be to pick up the aerial photo you brought with you and use it to understand what you're seeing from ground level. That's exactly what we're doing here."