Postcards from Mars: The Amazing Photos of Opportunity and Spirit Rovers

Opportunity's Surroundings on 3,000th Sol

This 360-degree panorama assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exporation Rover Opportunity shows terrain surrounding the position where the rover spent its 3,000th Martian day, or sol, working on Mars on July 2, 2012.

Opportunity Rover Pancam Panorama

817 component images taken between Dec. 21, 2011, and May 8, 2012, taken by Mars Rover Opportunity combine in this image. Image released July 5, 2012.

Opportunity Rover Pancam Panorama

817 component images taken between Dec. 21, 2011, and May 8, 2012, taken by Mars Rover Opportunity combine in this image. Image released July 5, 2012.

Opportunity Rover Captures Own Shadow, Giant Mars Crater

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity catches its own late-afternoon shadow in this dramatically lit view eastward across Endeavour Crater on Mars. The rover used the panoramic camera (Pancam) between about 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. local Mars time (mostly on March 9, 2012) to record images taken through different filters and combined into this mosaic view. [More Mars Photos by Opportunity Rover]

Greeley Haven, Opportunity Rover's Overwintering Site

NASA's Opportunity rover will spend the Martian winter of 2012 at a spot called Greeley Haven, shown here in a false-color view to emphasize differences in composition. The rocks of Greeley Haven stand out in blue-gray tints; in the background at right lies a tan patch of sand.

Mars' Odyssey Crater

The smaller Odyssey crater, perched on the rim of the giant crater, Endeavour, was one of the sites examined by Opportunity. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity arrived at the rim of Endeavour crater on Aug. 9, 2011.

View Across Endeavour Crater

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera to capture this raw vista looking across Endeavour crater during the rover's 2,686th Martian day, or sol, of work on Mars (Aug. 14, 2011). This photo was taken three days after Opportunity arrived at the crater following a 3-year trek.

Homestake Small Rocky Outcropping

An examination of the small rocky outcropping known as Homestake revealed mineral deposited created by the flow of water. The cracks within this rock could potentially host life. The exposures for this image were taken during the 2,769th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's career on Mars (Nov. 7, 2011).

Opportunity Spies Minerals

This view from the front hazard-avoidance camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover's arm's shadow falling near a bright mineral vein informally named "Homestake."

Mars Rover Opportunity Rests by Santa Maria Crater — Close-up

Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars rovers, have outlived and outlasted any spacecraft on the surface of the red planet. Take a look at some of their latest Mars photos.