Outcrop on ‘Murray Ridge’ Section of Martian Crater Rim (False Color)

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity observed this outcrop on the "Murray Ridge" portion of the rim of Endeavour Crater as the rover approached the 10th anniversary of its landing on Mars.

Opportunity used its Panoramic Camera (Pancam) during the 3,494th to 3,496th Martian days, or sols, of its work on Mars (Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, 2013) to take the images combined into this view. The scene includes an outcrop called "Moreton Island," which the rover imaged to help researchers choose a target for contact investigation with tools on the rover's robotic arm.

The view merges exposures taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). It is presented in false color to emphasize subtle color differences among the materials on the Martian surface.

Opportunity landed on Mars on Jan. 25, 2004, Universal Time (Jan. 24, 2004, PST). Spirit, the other twin rover sent by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project, landed on Jan. 4, 2004, UT (Jan. 3, 2004, PST). Both missions were planned for durations of three months on Mars. Spirit worked for six years and Opportunity is still exploring in January 2014.