Today NASA landed a second space craft on Mars. The lander contained a rover named Opportunity. This lander is on the opposite side of the planet from the first lander that contained the rover Spirit. Some pictures are being returned and I thought it might be nice to see them. There is not a lot yet but they are interesting never the less.

Opportunity landed near the equator, at Meridiani Planum. There is a layer of hematite at Meridiani Planum and this is one of the reasons that this site was selected. Hematite is an iron oxide. When it is found on Earth, there is almost always liquid in its environment. Even though this site is dry on Mars, it may once have been wet. "There are five or six hypotheses to explain the hematite on Mars, but none of them are a slam-dunk," says NASA's Mars Landing Site Science Coordinator John Grant. "We have to go there to find out which is correct."

Some scientists think that this hematite could have been produced without water. This would have been accomplished by direct production of hematite from lava that was rich in iron. Even though this is a possibility, it is much more likely that water was involved in its production. I would like to interject a thought here, scientists are going by what they know about the Earth to judge probabilities on Mars. Wouldn't it be ironic if some of the laws of nature on Earth didn't apply on Mars? Also, I personally still want to see Cydonia explored. Cydonia is the region on Mars that contains the most controversial elements of Mar/s surface features, such as the face, pyramid and ruins.

Meridiani Planum is a spot where erosion seems to be taking place, but what is causing it? Could it be those Martian storms, it certainly isn't water.

Well be that as it may, lets look at the first pictures from Opportunity.

Landscape

Lander

Landscape

Landing Area

Landscape

This may be a crater

Look for many more Mars Pictures in the future, and lets hope for some stunning discoveries.