Endeavour Crater is a large impact crater formed on Mars billions of years ago. Erosion and burial have filled in the depression and reduced the rim to a broken-up ring of hills made of rock that is older than the surrounding plains.

The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity is currently exploring the west rim of the crater, and studying new types of rock that are very different from anything seen earlier in the mission . HiRISE images of the rest of the crater help the MER team plan their operations and understand how particular sites visited by the rover fit into the big picture.

Written by: Colin Dundas (audio by Tre Gibbs)   (13 March 2013)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_031294_1775 .

More info and image formats at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_030872_1775

Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona