Posted by tourdemars to Mars Exploration Rovers at January 1, 2005 02:54 PM

Like the adage here on Earth, so goes it for Mars: One person’s junk is another’s gold mine -- in this case, charred and busted up pieces of a heat shield. NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover is circling leftovers from its entry, descent and landing system that fell to the planet nearly a year ago. Both scientists and engineers are finding value in an up-close inspection of spent entry shield hardware that was shed at high altitude above Mars and fell with a thump onto the expanse of terrain that is Meridiani Planum.