Surviving NASA rover nears rim of Martian crater

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Surviving NASA rover nears rim of Martian crater

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Months after death of Mars rover Spirit, its twin is poised to reach rim of vast crater.

08 August,2011 10:42 pm

Driving commands sent up to Opportunity directed the six-wheel rover to make the final push toward Endeavour crater, a 14-mile (22-kilometer)-wide depression near the Martian equator that likely could be its final destination.At its current pace and barring any hiccups, Opportunity should roll up to the craters edge on Tuesday. The finish line was a spot along a ridge that the rover team nicknamed Spirit Point in honor of Opportunitys lost twin.Im totally pumped. Weve been driving for so long, said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis who is part of the team.The milestone injects a sense of adventure back into a mission that wowed the public with color portraits of the landscape and the unmistakable geologic discoveries of a warm and wetter past.The NASA rovers parachuted to opposite sides of Mars in 2004 for what was a planned three-month mission, but both have operated beyond their factory warranty.Spirits journey ended in May after NASA ceased trying to contact it. It had been trapped in sand and unheard from for more than a year.Opportunity has been on a driving spree since 2008 after it crawled out of a much smaller crater and trundled south toward Endeavour, stopping occasionally to sightsee and examine rock outcrops.Unlike the early days of the mission when the public tracked Opportunitys every move, the march to Endeavour has been largely low-key.In early 2009, Opportunity caught its first peek of the uplifted rim on the horizon. At the time, scientists were unsure if the rover would make it all the way.