Opportunity studies Mar’s rock Tisdale 2

“This is different from any rock ever seen on Mars,” said Steve Squyres, principal investigator for Opportunity at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. “It has a composition similar to some volcanic rocks, but there’s much more zinc and bromine than we’ve typically seen. We are getting confirmation that reaching Endeavour really has given us the equivalent of a second landing site for Opportunity.”

The diversity of fragments in Tisdale 2 could be a prelude to other minerals Opportunity might find at Endeavour. In the past two weeks, researchers have used an instrument on the rover’s robotic arm to identify elements at several spots on Tisdale 2. Scientists have also examined the rock using the rover’s microscopic imager and multiple filters of its panoramic camera.

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