CAPE VERDE
Over two and a half years after
landing, Opportunity arrived at
Victoria Crater in September 2007. It
circled clockwise about a quarter of
the way around the crater’s lip before
setting off down the wall. Landforms
it discovered inside were named after
those found by Ferdinand Magellan
during his 16th-century voyage in the
ship Victoria. Among them was Cape
Verde, shown here – a rocky bluff
jutting out from the crater wall. The
image was taken in October 2007,
about a month into the descent.
MARTIAN BLUEBERRIES
Are these blueberries on Mars? No, the
tiny balls dotted around Opportunity’s
tracks are actually grey haematite, an
iron-based mineral. On Earth, haematite
is usually formed in water, so their
discovery strongly suggests that the
Meridiani Planum area was once awash
with liquid water. Large haematite
deposits have also been detected
near the huge Valles Marineris canyon
complex. Haematite is grey, but appears
blue here because of the processing
techniques used on the rover images.
www.bbcfocusmagazine.com February 2009 7
Focus_199_megapixel_7RB.indd 7 22/12/08 16:24:51
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