Mars Hill-Climbing Opportunity at ‘Solander Point’

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this southward uphill view after beginning to ascend the northwestern slope of "Solander Point" on the western rim of Endeavour Crater.

The view combines five frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera on the 3,463rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Oct. 21, 2013). Opportunity had begun climbing the hill on Sol 3451 (Oct. 8) and completed three additional uphill drives before reaching this point.

The rover team is using the rover to investigate outcrops on the slope. The northward-facing slope will tilt the rover's solar panels toward the sun in the southern-hemisphere winter sky, providing an important energy advantage for continuing mobile operations through the upcoming winter.

The scene extends from east-southeast on the left (with a glimpse across Endeavour Crater) to west-northwest on the right. It is presented as a seam-corrected cylindrical projection.