The image above of “Marathon Valley” combines four pointings of the rover’s panoramic camera (Pancam) on 13 March 2015, during the 3,958th Martian day of Opportunity’s mission on Mars.
The rover team selected Marathon Valley as a science destination because observations of this location using the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showed evidence of clay minerals, a clue to ancient wet environments.
Opportunity has been exploring the Meridiani Planum region of Mars (see image below for location) since January 2004.
Originally published by Cosmos as Rover Opportunity captures new image of Mars’ Marathon Valley
Bill Condie
Bill Condie is a science journalist based in Adelaide, Australia.
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