Opportunity is NASA’s Mars rover on the go – and is rolling into place to inspect its latest find.
Scientists believe the rover has come across a possible iron meteorite en route to during its ongoing trek to a new exploration site – the rim of Endeavor crater, still far off in the distance.
Meanwhile, Opportunity is positioning itself to start close-up study of the toaster-sized rock, dubbed “Oileán Ruaidh”.
To date, NASA’s Opportunity robot has inspected four iron meteorites while rolling across the Meridiani Planum region of Mars since early 2004.
By studying these objects, scientists have gleaned new information about the Martian atmosphere, as well as the meteorites themselves.
By LD/CSE