NASA’s one of the most senior Mars rover called Opportunity rover started exploring Cape Tribulation crater-rim segment since 2014. Now, after completing 30 months at this rim, it’s approaching towards its next destination Perseverance Valley. Opportunity will deeply observe the valley to determine the fluidic activity of Mars billions of year ago.
During the exploration of Cape Tribulation, Opportunity rover took a color panoramic image at Rocheport ridge that will help scientists to understand the valley ahead. Opportunity's onboard camera took multiple shots of in a different angle, later merged those images to serve one large panoramic image to NASA.
Deputy Principal Investigator of Opportunity rover, Ray Arvidson from Washington University in St. Louis, said,“The degree of erosion at Rocheport is fascinating. Grooves run perpendicular to the crest line. They may have been carved by water or ice or wind”. NASA reported that Opportunity has traveled almost 3 miles after departing from Cape Tribulation, now it is just 436 meters away from Perseverance Valley that is equivalent to four football fields.
The Perseverance Valley itself is not more than two football fields long, but the cuts are spread up to 14 miles from west to east which includes a western rim of Endeavour Crater. Before reaching the Cape Tribulation, NASA’s Opportunity rover has explored Cape York, Solander Point, and Murray Ridge in 68 months since reaching Endeavour Crater.
According to the Universe Today, Opportunity rover has traveled 320 feet (98 meters) since the beginning of April to reach the boundary area where Cape Tribulation meets the plain surrounding the crater. In 2015, Opportunity investigated the clay materials in the outcrops of Marathon Valley that is one of the most significant places of Cape Tribulation.
Unfortunately, during the exploration in 2015 the flash memory of the Opportunity was damaged. Since then it has been transmitting the observation data to NASA control center as it is not capable of storing data anymore. However, it still working fine even after 13 years on a mission in the martian environment.
