In article ,
says...

snip

On a slightly-related subject, Opportunity seems to have spotted her old
backshell again in
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...B118R1_br2.jpg
...in the left third of the pan, at about ten o'clock from the low-gain mast.

That's not the backshell -- that's the heatshield.

And I'll bet there's _still_ some engineer at JPL who's wishing like hell
he could steer over there and get some nice clean close-ups of the effects
of atmospheric entry and the subsequent five months of weathering.

Steve Squyres said as much during the last press conference -- he'd
REALLY like to see the effects of entry on the shield. And, like I've
been saying for some time, it's obvious that the heatshield's impact dug
a hole that's deeper than any other fresh hole at the landing site.
Squyres really wants a look into that hole, too. So, I'll betcha we get
to visit the heatshield before it's all over...

Doug