The venerable Opportunity Mars rover is busy at work inside Victoria Crater at Meridiani Planum.

This NASA robot is being controlled from Earth to study a layer of light-toned rock exposed inside the large crater. That survey is expected to be a trip back through time as scientists can explore many millions of years ago when an impact excavated the crater.

It's a chancy drive down inside Victoria Crater. Still, Mars explorers anticipate a bonanza of data from an already science-rich mission thanks to the wheeled red planet probe.

Victoria crater has a scalloped shape of alternating alcoves and promontories around the crater's circumference.

But it is "slow and go" given the pitch of the crater walls as Opportunity sets its wheels in motion on Mars. Earth controllers don't want to end up in a heap of busted-up robot at the bottom of the pit. After all, there are, perhaps, miles to go once the rover climbs out of Victoria Crater and smells science elsewhere.

--Leonard David

Credit:NASA/JPL/Caltech