Mars rover sheds light on crater Victoria

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity finally reached the edge of a massive, scientifically promising crater after a marathon trek, according to media reports Saturday.

Scientists hope the upcoming exploration of the crater will reveal clues about the red planet.

The six-wheel robot has spent 22 months trekking almost 10 kilometers to the crater named Victoria. It was acting like a tourist, snapping photos of the rim of the less than one kilometer-wide crater.

At the same time, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a powerful explorer that just settled into its ideal scientific orbit, was taking images from 300 kilometres above Mars' surface, giving scientists a bird's-eye view of the crater and evidence of erosion around the rim. In one image, the rover appeared as a speck with its wheel tracks visible in the soil.

"This is a tremendous example of how our Mars missions in orbit and on the surface are designed to reinforce each other and expand our ability to explore and discover," said Doug McCuistion, NASA's director for Mars exploration.

Victoria's exposed rock layers promise to shed light on whether the place could have been hospitable to life. A preliminary analysis showed distinct patterns in the sedimentary rock layers, suggesting the area experienced fluctuating climate, scientists said.

On Friday, Scientists said they were plotting the next move for the Mars rover Opportunity. By studying close-ups of the rover's surroundings and aerial shots taken by the orbiter, they hope to zero in on the safest route for the rover to enter and probe the inner walls before it goes bust.

"This vehicle could die at any minute. We have no guarantee that it's going to last," rover principal investigator Steve Squyres of Cornell University said at a news conference.

Victoria, named after the only ship to complete the Portuguese explorer MagellanЎЇs global voyage, is the largest crater Opportunity has visited since it arrived on the red planet in early 2004. The rover's mission has lasted much longer than the three months that had been planned.

"Opportunity shows a few signs of aging but is in good shape for undertaking exploration of Victoria crater," said John Callas, the project manager for the rovers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, both uncovered geologic evidence of past water activity on the planet since their landings two years ago. Enditem

Xinhua/Agencies