Free Republic

Photo shows the area in which Opportunity landed, the track outlined path it took over two years to negotiate 6 miles of desert to Victoria Crater Victoria Crater. The Mars-orbiting NASA satellite took a picture as it passed Victoria Crater and actually captured the Rover sitting on the edge of the crater.........A blow-up of the satellite photo showing Opportunity sitting on the crater's rim False color looking North to Cape Verde; great rock layers to explore. Looking Southeast across Duck Bay.

WASHINGTON - NASA briefed senior White House officials Wednesday on its plan to spend $100 billion and the next 12 years building the spacecraft and rockets it needs to put humans back on the Moon by 2018. The U.S. space agency now expects to roll out its lunar exploration plan to key Congressional committees on Friday and to the broader public through a news conference on Monday, Washington sources tell SPACE.com. U.S. President George W. Bush called in January 2004 for the United States to return to the Moon by 2020 as the first major step in a broader space...