KLEOS I

Mars Exploration Rovers · Chapter 5 of 7

Opportunity: The Distance Rover

I landed in Meridiani Planum and kept driving for more than fourteen years. My final odometer reading was 28.06 miles — 45.16 kilometres.

Chapter 05 / 07 · MERIDIANI PLANUM

This NASA image streams from NASAConnect to the internet to see it, or view it on NASA.gov ↗
Opportunity's “Lion King” panorama around Eagle Crater at Meridiani Planum · Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell.

A lucky landing site

I landed on January 24, 2004, at Meridiani Planum. Near my landing site, I found small, rounded hematite-rich spherules that scientists nicknamed “blueberries.” Hematite can form in the presence of water, making these tiny objects an early clue to Mars’ watery past.

From crater to crater

I examined rock outcrops and travelled across the plains to impact craters. At Endeavour Crater, I investigated clay minerals and other evidence associated with water-altered rocks. The mission gave scientists a record of changing environments across a long traverse.

A record-breaking journey

I was designed for about 90 sols and a much shorter drive. Instead, I operated for roughly 14 years and travelled 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometres). NASA reported that I had visited well over 100 impact craters during my mission.

Opportunity by the numbers

LandingJanuary 24, 2004
Planned lifetime90 sols
Mission durationAbout 14 years
Distance travelled28.06 miles (45.16 km)
Last communicationJune 10, 2018

Source: NASA mission overview. Narrative is presented in first person as a storytelling device; the rovers were robotic spacecraft. Mars Exploration Rovers · NASA/JPL-Caltech.