Rover may R.I.P. on Mars after its next descent

By Dave Mosher

updated 7:18 p.m. ET June 28, 2007

The Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity" will perform a risky descent into the red planet's giant Victoria Crater early next month.

The announcement was delivered during a NASA teleconference today, and came after months of debate about whether or not to proceed. Officials said the decision has been difficult to make because some scientists think the crater may become the aging rover's final resting place.

Alan Stern, NASA's associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate in Washington, gave the go-ahead during the conference.

"We've made a decision to authorize the rover to descend down into Victoria Crater," he said, noting that the move is not without risks--if it goes inside the large hole in Mars' crust, it may malfunction or not be able to climb out. "But the science could occupy us not just for days or weeks, but for months. This is why I've authorized the rover to go into the crater."

Risky maneuver
Opportunity is currently perched on "Duck Bay," an alcove on the rim of the crater from which it will descend. Scientists have deemed the site the gentlest entry point to the 800-meter-wide (2,600-foot-wide) crater.

The rover is set to make its descent early next month. "Perhaps the 7th or 9th of July," said John Callas, MER project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He noted that the team will first see if the rover can make the trip with a short "toe-dip" into Duck Bay.

"We chose our entry point solely on the basis of safety," said Steve Squyres, principal scientist of the Mars Exploration Rover team at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Squyres explained that moving the rover only a few feet down the slope and backing it out should reveal any unpleasant surprises such as slips or slides.

In addition to slippery terrain, the Mars scientists fully accept the risk of wheel failure or other malfunction once in the crater. "We believe we can get in and explore and get out safely, but if we were to have a wheel failure on Opportunity that would make getting out very problematic," Squyres said.

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