Edge of Endurance Crater Rover View on Mars Poster

This spectacular panoramic view, a true-colour image mosaic, comprised of 258 separate images, was taken by the panoramic camera aboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on sols (Martian days) 97 and 98 of its journey on the surface. This is the view that Opportunity saw looking down into the impact crater “Endurance.” At this point Opportunity was perched on the edge of the crater just 40 centimetres (15.7 inches) from the crater rim’s precipitous drop-off. The crater’s exposed walls could provide a window into what lies beneath the surface of Mars. The interior of the crater should yield substantial information on early Martian geologic processes if Opportunity can be successfully navigated to target rocks in the crater’s interior, avoiding the rock formations embedded in the nearly vertical cliffs.