Opportunity Landing Site Target Ellipse This is a map of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's predicted landing site at a region on Mars called Meridiani Planum. This region is suspected to contain gray hematite, an iron-rich mineral that usually forms in the presence of water on Earth. On Jan. 25, 2004, the rover has a 99 percent chance of landing within the ellipse, which measures approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) long and 4 kilometers (2 miles) wide. Its exact target is where the black longitude and latitude lines cross within the ellipse, left of the white cross that marks the center of the ellipse. The image was taken by the thermal emission imaging system on the orbiting Mars Odyssey. Release Date: 1/24/04 Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU + Return to previous page