Mars Hill-Climbing Opportunity at ‘Solander Point,’ Right Eye

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this view after beginning to ascend the northwestern slope of "Solander Point" on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The image is the right-eye member of a stereo pair. The scene extends from east-southeast on the left (with a glimpse across Endeavour Crater) to west-northwest on the right.

The view combines 10 frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera on the 3,463rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Oct. 21, 2013). Opportunity had begun climbing the hill on Sol 3451 (Oct. 8) and completed three additional uphill drives before reaching this point.

The rover team is using the rover to investigate outcrops on the slope. The northward-facing slope will tilt the rover's solar panels toward the sun in the southern-hemisphere winter sky, providing an important energy advantage for continuing mobile operations through the upcoming winter.

The scene is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection.