A Bit of Home
Sunlight glints off the wrecked remains of the heatshield that protected the Opportunity rover during its descent to Mars 11 months ago. Opportunity recently emerged from Endurance crater, where it spent six months, to continue driving across the plains of Meridiani Planum. Its first target is the heatshield, seen in this image that was transmitted to Earth on December 26 (Mars day 324 for Opportunity). The shield protected Opportunity from the heat of entry through the Martian atmosphere, and dropped away before landing. It skipped and skidded (dark marks at right) before coming to rest. Small bits of debris are scattered around the shield. Opportunity's sister rover, Spirit, will celebrate its first anniversary on Mars on January 3. It is climbing Husband Hill, a small ridge halfway around Mars from Opportunity's landing site. [Credit: NASA/JPL]
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