Streaks on Opportunity Solar Panel After Uphill Drive

This image from the navigation camera on the mast of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows streaks of dust or sand on the vehicle's rear solar panel after a series of drives during which the rover was pointed steeply uphill.

The image was taken on March 21, 2016, during the 4,322nd Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars. The rover's location was on the north-facing slope of "Knudsen Ridge," which forms part of the southern edge of "Marathon Valley." During a forward, uphill drive on March 10 (Sol 4311), Opportunity's tilt reached 32 degrees, the steepest ever for any rover on Mars. While the rover was so steeply tilted, accumulated dust on its deck was affected by vibrations from wheels slipping against the ground. Tilt in the same direction continued with two downhill drives in reverse between that ascent and when this images was taken.

JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more about Opportunity's mission, see http://mars.nasa.gov/mer.