Opportunity Landing Crater. By an extraordinary luck NASA Opportunity rover came to a standstill at Mars just in a crater lost among Meridiani Planum plains vastness. Opportunity is part of a twin rovers mission sent to Mars on tracks of a watery, life-friendly past. Packed into a landing platform, each rover came to Mars' surface after an entry in the atmosphere and a parachute-braked descent. About a four-story building above ground rovers freefell to ground, airbags-protected, and after several bounces they eventually stopped, landing platform petals opened, and they were prepared for science. Opportunity landing platform is seen at picture's center. Crater is 72 ft wide, 10 ft deep (22 m, 3 m). It provided rover at hand with all material needed for mission. Opportunity scientists quickly came to conclusion that Meridiani Planum had had a lasting, strong, life-hospitable, watery past. Whitish rocky outcrop seen bordering crater are sediments formed in a briny, flowing, watery environment. Tracks seen on crater floor were left by rover and are showing how the latter performed science at various points of crater. picture courtesy NASA/JPL/Cornell