[insert song about getting on the road again]

This actually came sooner than I expected: Opportunity drove for the first time since Sol 2795. From Phil Stooke's post:

Paolo the RP wandered into the UMSF forums the other week to announce things like planned (and now executed) "drive direction imaging" and a "turn for comm." The words couldn't have fallen more welcome on our ears.

For now, it'll be step-by-step kind of drives. We still need those recharge sols, and I'm not exactly clear* on the possible continuation of Radio Science. (Speaking of: Part 2 of 2 of this in the works!)

Winter was a challenge — but obviously one we could manage. Next up? Sniff out Morris Hill, maybe do some drive-by IDD'ing of the other potential juicy bits of Cape York, and then it's off to Cape Tribulation. Funny to think that Cape York was this big fat mystery to us when we arrived; it marked, and has since represented in spirit, the arrival of the Opportunity rover at the massive Endeavour Crater. Now, we've done our business and are ready to move on to climb some mountains. It's another new adventure, and this time we don't have to trek tens of kilometers to get there in the first place.

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*Not exactly around a lot in MER town these days. Sad.