JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Opportunity Looks Back After Hop to a New Pad

May 19, 2010
NASA's rover Opportunity captured this image of the tracks the rover left on a drive from one energy-favorable position on the northern end of a sand ripple to another. The rover team calls this hopping from lily pad to lily pad.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera for this northward view of tracks the rover left on a drive from one energy-favorable position on the northern end of a sand ripple to another. The rover team calls this strategy hopping from lily pad to lily pad.

Opportunity took this image on the 2,235th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (May 8, 2010). The tracks are from a 14.87-meter (49-foot) drive southward on the preceding sol. Mars' southern hemisphere was in the minimal sunshine period close to the winter solstice, which occurred May 13, 2010 (Universal Time).

Making progress on Opportunity's long trek to Endeavour Crater remains the extended mission's priority, but the amount of solar energy is so limited at this season that Opportunity needs to rest to recharge batteries for sols between drives. The sun crosses the sky low in the north. Choosing end points for drives that give a favorable northward tilt for the rover's solar panels makes the recharging go faster. The sand ripples in this part of Meridiani Planum are aligned generally north-south, so this means ending drives on the northern ends of the ripples.

Opportunity took this image from the northern end of a ripple that is not visible in the image.

For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (3 feet).

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
  • Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity
Target
  • Mars
Spacecraft
  • Opportunity
Instrument
  • Navigation Camera
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Keep Exploring

Spirit and Opportunity in High Bay 1

Dusty's Panorama

Artistic Pancam Frame

Opportunity Discovers Dead Man's Journey

Opportunity's Tracks in Perseverance Valley

Opportunity Legacy Pan (False Color)

Opportunity Legacy Pan (True Color)

Last Images Opportunity Took

Opportunity's Last Message

Opportunity Legacy Pan (Anaglyph)

Related Topic

News .

6 Things to Know About NASA’s Mars Helicopter on Its Way to Mars

News .

NASA to Host Virtual Briefing on February Perseverance Mars Rover Landing

News .

NASA InSight’s ‘Mole’ Ends Its Journey on Mars

News .

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover to Capture Sounds From the Red Planet

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Reaches Its 3,000th Day on Mars

News .

NASA Extends Exploration for Two Planetary Science Missions

News .

Celebrate the Perseverance Rover Landing With NASA's Student Challenge

Topic .

Mars

News .

7 Things to Know About the NASA Rover About to Land on Mars

Podcast .

On a Mission

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono