Opportunity
The rover that found the first meteorite ever identified on another planet.
Key facts
- Agency
- NASA (United States)
- Type of mission
- Rover
- Target
- Mars: Meridiani Planum
- Launched
- 7 July 2003
- Status
- Ended 2018
Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, were golf-cart-sized rovers designed to last 90 Martian days. Opportunity landed on Meridiani Planum on 25 January 2004 and kept going for more than 14 years, driving about 45 kilometres.
Its main discovery was evidence of ancient water: layered rocks laid down in salty, acidic water, and small round grains of the iron oxide hematite, nicknamed blueberries, that grew inside them.
Heat Shield Rock
In January 2005, beside the discarded heat shield that had protected the rover on its way down, the cameras spotted a pitted, dark rock about the size of a basketball. Its instruments showed it was made of iron and nickel metal. It was an iron meteorite, broadly like the IAB irons found on Earth, and the first meteorite confirmed on another planet. It was given the official name Meridiani Planum.
Opportunity went on to find several more iron meteorites and stony ones on the plains of Meridiani. Their rust coatings and wind-worn surfaces record how slowly rock weathers on modern Mars.
Why it matters to meteorites
Meteorites on Mars show that the same kinds of asteroid fragments fall on other planets. They also act as test pieces: because scientists know what a fresh iron meteorite looks like, the changes on Martian examples reveal how wind, frost and a trace of water have acted on Mars's surface. Opportunity fell silent during a planet-wide dust storm in June 2018.
Key dates
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 7 July 2003 | Opportunity launched. |
| 25 January 2004 | Landed on Meridiani Planum. |
| January 2005 | Found Heat Shield Rock, the first meteorite identified on another planet. |
| July 2009 | Found Block Island, a larger iron meteorite. |
| 10 June 2018 | Last contact, during a planet-wide dust storm. |
See where this mission fits among all the others in the mission timeline.
Did you know?
Opportunity was built to last 90 Martian days and worked for more than 5,000.
The first meteorite found on Mars was spotted next to the rover's own discarded heat shield.