(Followup from last week.) It took about a month, but with much patience and spinning of wheels, Mars Rover Opportunity has extracted itself from deep sand. Now the rover will examine the terrain to see what caused the stickage, before continuing its southward trek towards Erebus and Victoria, and the “etched terrain” between them.

More from MSNBC, Space.com, the Planetary Society, and Mark Carey’s discussion board.