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Press Release Images: Opportunity
27-Dec-2004
 
Opportunity's Trek Across the Plains of Meridiani
Opportunity's Trek Across the Plains of Meridiani

Opportunity is approaching the heat shield that protected the rover from frictional high temperatures during descent through the martian atmosphere in January 2004. The spacecraft carrying the rover jettisoned the heat shield just prior to landing. This orbital view shows the course the rover drove from its landing to its 324th martian day, or sol (Dec. 21, 2004), including the historic path of Opportunity's six months of exploration inside Endurance Crater. Opportunity drove 90.9 meters (298 feet) on sol 324, bringing its total odometry to 1,997.8 meters (1.24 miles).

Image credit: NASA/JPL/MSSS/OSU
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Heat Shield Impact Site
Heat Shield Impact Site

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity gained this view of its own heat shield during the rover's 325th martian day (Dec. 22, 2004). The main structure from the successfully used shield is to the far left. Additional fragments of the heat shield lie in the upper center of the image. The heat shield's impact mark is visible just above and to the right of the foreground shadow of Opportunity's camera mast. This view is a mosaic of three images taken with the rover's navigation camera.

Image credit: NASA/JPL
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