A new HiRISE view of Opportunity (sol 3361)

Posted By Emily Lakdawalla

2013/07/17 06:14 CDT

Topics: mission status, pretty pictures, spacecraft, pics of spacecraft in space, Mars, Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped a lovely color photo of the rim of Endeavour crater, catching Opportunity midway between Nobby's Head and Solander Point.

NASA / JPL / UA / Emily Lakdawalla

Opportunity seen from HiRISE on sol 3361 (July 8, 2013)

I could just show you Opportunity but they did a great job of framing the image so that the skinny color strip at the middle of the HiRISE camera detector covered all of the rim of Endeavour that Opportunity has explored so far, plus the bit that she's about to explore. So, behold: Endeavour's rim! You may want to compare this to a few-week-old route map posted by Eduardo Tesheiner at unmannedspaceflight.com to locate the named landmarks. You'll need to look at a more recent route map to see Opportunity's sol 3361 position. We're all a bit confused why Opportunity suddenly took a left turn on sol 3366!

NASA / JPL / UA / Emily Lakdawalla

HiRISE view of Opportunity, sol 3361

HiRISE captured this photo of Opportunity on the rover's sol 3361, July 8, 2013. At the time, the rover was taking advantage of summer sunlight to drive southward along the rim of Endeavour crater from Cape York (at the top of the photo), past Sutherland Point and Nobby's Head (at the center of the photo), toward Solander Point (at the bottom). Opportunity is just past halfway from Nobby's Head to the northern tip of Solander Point.