A Visual Message from the Opportunity Rover

Opportunity is one of the hardest-working public servants in the solar system. For years it has been on Mars, wheeling across the surface and sending back little missives that might look like this if it were a faithful employee out in the field:

“Sol 4332: I saw a dust devil today. Sent a picture of it back to Earth.”

Oppy got this fantastic view using its Navcam on March 31, 2016. That dust devil should be familiar to anyone who has driven across a desert or near a plowed field and seen dust and dirt rise up as part of a heated column of air. In this case, Martian air is lifting tiny dust grains up from the surface and they whirl across the landscape. The Spirit rover (Opportunity’s twin) saw these all the time. In fact, the dust devils were instrumental in cleaning off Spirit’s solar panels. Spirit went to sleep a few years ago after a tough winter and has never woke up. Opportunity, however, is soldiering on, giving us amazing views of the Martian surface as it wheels its way across the terrain.

Follow the Opportunity mission at NASA’s Mars rovers site. There are images galore and fascinating stories to go with them. It’s is just one of several spacecraft at and ON Mars. Mars Curiosity is half a world away, studying the region around Mt. Sharp. The Mars MAVEN mission is orbiting the planet, measuring the atmosphere,  along with the Mars Orbiting Mission. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Express, are orbiting and mapping the planet, and ExoMars is on its way to the Red Planet.  As you can see, we have a LOT going on at Mars, and more planned for the future.  In the meantime, follow Oppy as she soldiers her way across the Martian surface returning fascinating views.