Photo: Mars Rover Sets Out on Risky Crater Mission

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


A view from the Mars rover Opportunity shows the Bright Band, a light-colored layer of rock that was exposed to the Martian environment when Victoria Crater was formed millions of years ago.

Scientists hope the band contains information about Mars's ancient atmosphere and water levels, so they're sending Opportunity into the crater for a closer look.

Image courtesy NASA/JPL/Cornell

EMAIL NEWSLETTER Photos and News of the Week

Get the top photos and news of the week from National Geographic News, plus occasional breaking-news alerts.

See Sample >>
Please enter a valid email address
Privacy Policy

MOST VIEWED NEWS

New Mercury Images Show Volcanoes, Magnetic Field, More

100 Years After Tunguska, Earth Not Ready for Meteors

WEEK IN PHOTOS: Space "Ribbon," Calif. Wildfires, More
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

Photo and Headline Widget

Put our latest news and photos on your Web page or desktop—automatically updates! See Sample
Download Widget