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October surprise #2

October surprise #2
October surprise #2 Opportunity hiked up this slope on the northern outcrop of La Bajada, slippery with soils and rubble, to get to targets on a bright outcrop that showed signs of having been etched or scoured by some force. As the ‘bot finished her climb on October 25, 2017, she popped her second wheelie of the month, this time with her rear left wheel. It brought a little excitement to the doldrums of winter. Author, astronomy outreach educator, and contributor to The Planetary Society’ Amateur Space Images Archive, Stuart Atkinson processed this view from raw images that the rover sent home. Atkinson has followed this rover’s journey for years in his The Road to Endeavour blog. NASA / JPL-Caltech / S. Atkinson