In a study published Thursday in the journal Science,
researchers analyzing that data have found evidence that an
entire Oklahoma-sized region of Mars called the Meridiani planum
was shaped by years of wind and water flows. The new data come
from the Victoria crater, a 2,400 foot wide area about four
miles south of the Endurance crater, the first region that
Opportunity explored. The pattern of rock layers that
Opportunity first saw in the Endurance crater in 2004 suggested
that ancient water flows had sculpted the region's surface. But
until the rover had a chance to explore more of the surrounding
area, scientists couldn't be sure that the pattern would be
repeated all over the region -- it might have been unique to the
Endurance crater. The new information from the Victoria crater,
which showed similar patterns, helps put that question to rest.
"It's hard to extrapolate from a single data point," says Steven
Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars rover mission.
"This gives us confidence that these