Mars Rover Opportunity Working at Edge of 'Solander'

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Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

Mars Exploration Rover Mission Status Report
Mars Rover Opportunity Working at Edge of 'Solander'
Aug. 14, 2013

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-250&cid=release_2013-250

PASADENA, Calif. – NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is studying the area of contact between a
rock layer formed in acidic wet conditions long ago and an even older one that may be from a
more neutral wet environment.

This geological contact line recording a change in environmental conditions billions of years ago
lies at the foot of a north-facing slope, "Solander Point," that the rover's operators chose months
ago as Opportunity's work area for the coming Martian southern hemisphere winter.

Opportunity has survived five Martian winters since it landed on Mars in January 2004. A
northern slope would tilt the rover's solar panels toward the winter sun, providing an important
boost in available power.

Three months ago, the mission began a trek of about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from an area
where Opportunity worked for nearly two years, on "Cape York," to reach Solander Point for the
winter.

"We made it," said Opportunity's project scientist, Matt Golombek of NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "The drives went well, and Opportunity is right next to Solander
Point. We know we could be on that north-facing slope with a one-day drive, but we don't need
to go there yet. We have time to investigate the contact between the two geological units around
the base of Solander Point. Geologists love contacts."

Both Cape York and Solander Point are raised segments of the western rim of Endeavour Crater,
which is about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. Between these two raised segments, the
ground surface is part of a geological unit called the Burns Formation, which also includes
virtually all the rocks Opportunity studied from its landing site in Eagle Crater until its arrival at
Cape York two years ago. The Burns Formation includes sulfate-bearing minerals that are
evidence of an ancient environment containing sulfuric acid.

The geological contact that Opportunity is now investigating is where Burns Formation rocks
border older rocks uplifted by the impact that formed Endeavour Crater. From observations by
Mars orbiters and from Opportunity's work on Cape York, researchers suspect these older rocks
may contain minerals that formed under wet conditions that were not as acidic.

The rover is also observing some loose rocks that may have rolled off Solander Point, providing
a preview of what Opportunity may find after it climbs onto that rim segment.

Based on an analysis of the amount of dust accumulated on the rover's solar panels, the team
plans to get Opportunity onto the north-facing slope before mid-December. Daily sunshine for
the rover will reach a winter minimum in February 2014. The team expects to keep the rover
mobile through the winter. Solander Point offers rock outcrops for the rover to continue studying
through the winter months.

The twin rovers of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project, Opportunity and Spirit, both
completed three-month prime missions in April 2004 and began years of bonus, extended
missions. Both found evidence of wet environments on ancient Mars. Spirit ceased operations
during its fourth Martian winter, in 2010. Opportunity shows symptoms of aging, such as loss of
motion in some joints, but continues to accomplish groundbreaking exploration and science.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars
Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. For more about Spirit and
Opportunity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov . You can
follow the project on Twitter and on Facebook at: http://twitter.com/MarsRovers and
http://www.facebook.com/mars.rovers .

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