Mission Info

Spirit and Opportunity were solar-powered rovers landed on opposite sides of Mars. Opportunity landed on Jan. 25, 2004 inside a small crater later named Eagle Crater at Meridiani Planum, a place where mineral deposits suggested that Mars had a wet history. Opportunity climbed out of Eagle Crater on March 22. It examined some rocks and soil on the dark surrounding plain, then headed east toward a stadium-size crater called “Endurance.” It set a one-day martian driving record of 140.9 meters (462 feet) on April 17 and reached the rim of the crater on April 30. Opportunity broke the record for extraterrestrial travel by rolling greater than the distance of a 26-mile (42-kilometer) marathon.