It’s been some time since the last update on the Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Of course, we’re unlikely to hear from Spirit again but younger sibling Oppy is still going strong, and is in the midst of an impressive and ambitious voyage to the huge crater Endeavour.

I wholeheartedly approve of roving into the unknown, and would like to take this opportunity (no pun intended) to congratulate Opportunity on becoming the longest surviving working mission on Mars. The rover today overtakes NASA’s Viking 1 Lander’s record of six years and 116 days operating on Mars.

Endeavour is 22 kilometres in diameter, dwarfing Victoria crater, where Opportunity has already been, and which is 750 metres across. The crater is interesting because of the clay minerals there, spotted from orbit. Clays form under wet conditions, rather than the dry harsh conditions that form sulfates – the other kind of rock that Opportunity has seen.

You can read about the rover’s journey on the blog The Road to Endeavour and see some amazing pictures that the rover has been taking since it began this journey in 2008. The picture on the right here was taken in March, and you can just see the edge of Endeavour’s rim, looking like hills in the distance.

Well done Opportunity. Let’s hope you reach Endeavour before your tired old wheels pack up.

Image: NASA