Jinxed Opportunity!

No sooner had the Top Men at Wohba crossed their fingers, when Opportunity rover plows itself into a sand dune. All six wheels seem nice and dug in. Top Men at NASA (Steve Squyres) claim that they are optimistic - they've backed out of deep stuff before, but Top Men at Wohba haven't seen either Rover quite this deep before.

We've plowed (ahem) through the raw images to show you what you need to know. Rear Hazcam and Front Hazcam.

If this is a soft sand problem (not a correctable drive problem) we're not sure how Opportunity could proceed - the dunes get higher for a while. And so close to Erebus!

As always, we'll keep you informed.