Posted by tourdemars to Mars Exploration Rovers at June 4, 2004 09:18 PM

NASA has decided the potential science value gained by sending Opportunity into a martian impact crater likely outweighs the risk of the intrepid explorer not being able to get back out. Opportunity has been examining the rim of the stadium-sized "Endurance Crater" since late May. The rover team used observations of the depression to evaluate potential science benefits of entering the crater and the traversability of its inner slopes.