Brian Thorn wrote:

Opportunity is going to that bedrock outcropping and will spend a lot
of time there... *that* is exactly what they went to Mars to look for.

Coming down in a shallow crater was a piece of luck that they must of
only dreamed of, and the new views of the layered rocks are
fascinating... I can't wait till we get some microscopic views of the
area where different layers in the rock meet; at the moment, it looks
more like layered volcanic ash deposits to me than water-created
sedimentary rock...but it would be quite a find if the latter were the
case.

It's a gold mine, to them. After that, it will certainly drive out of
its crater and give us our first good look at its surroundings.
Opportunity may be life-limited by the thermostat glitch, but should
still easily make 90 days,.

Spirit is supposed to head for the large nearby crater (seen in the
DIMES image) soon. That will take a few weeks, stopping at interesting
rocks along the way. Then it will indeed head for the hills.


Boy, I hope this all works well- this is the most fun since the Voyager
probes!

Pat