"Two months after surviving a giant dust storm, one of NASA's robotic rovers on Mars began a risky drive Tuesday into a crater blasted open by a meteor eons ago.
Scientists want the rover Opportunity to travel 40 feet down toward a bright band of rocks in the Victoria Crater. They believe the rocks represent the ancient surface of Mars and that studying them could shed clues on the planet's early climate.
On Tuesday morning, engineers sent commands to Opportunity to begin its journey, and the robot signaled a confirmation. It will be several hours before scientists know how well the drive is going, and the trek itself will take several days.
advertisement Opportunity's first task will be to "toe dip" into the crater, a move that involves rolling its six wheels below the rim and immediately back out to gauge its footing.
Over the next few days, engineers will check Opportunity's instruments and command it to scale down the crater." Discovery Space Channel