NASA’s Spirit rover inched toward the edge of a gaping crater on Mars Thursday as mission managers weighed the risks of driving into it.
A trip into the 660-foot-wide crater could yield an unprecedented look at subsurface Mars, one that might provide a window into the planet’s geologic history.
But the robotic field geologist could get stuck in the crater, nicknamed “Bonneville,” fouling plans to eventually head off and explore rolling hills east of the rover’s landing site.