NASA rover Opportunity lands safely on Mars The US Opportunity rover touched down on the surface of Mars late Saturday, NASA said. It is the second US craft to land on Mars this month. Opportunity's twin rover, Spirit, landed Jan. 3 but on the opposite side of the red planet. The rover landed on the plains of Meridiani Planum in outcropping of gray hematite, a mineral that usually forms in the presence of water.

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