A fresh look at landing traces. Opportunity

A fresh look at landing traces. Opportunity

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to photograph the landing site of the Opportunity rover, on which it landed more than 13 years ago. Now he is 44 km away from her.

Of course, it is almost impossible to make a perfect landing, so in the picture we see a series of marks left by blows, rebounds and somersaults of the apparatus landing in the crater (January 25, 2004).

Eagle crater, parachute and back of the rover, taken on April 10, 2017, can be considered. One of the first shots of the HiRISE camera in 2006 (2 years of travel) showed that the device is located on the edge of the Victoria crater (6 km from the landing site). The Eagle crater is located in the upper right corner of the image, and the parachute and shell is at the bottom left.

A fresh look at landing traces. Opportunity

Landing platform left in 2004.

Small craters on a broad plain are not only traces of a landing, but also a reminder of a one-hit landing. The successful landing of the rover was a real breakthrough at that time, which made it possible to explore the Red Planet and even not only speak, but also plan missions for its colonization.

Having left the landing site and the Eagle crater, Opportunity has been fulfilling its tasks of exploring another world for more than 13 years.

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