Know Thyself, Opportunity

Almost an Earth-year after landing on Mars, rover Opportunity now has a chance do some investigating that (A) is a bonus project the mission team didn't think they'd ever have the (snicker) opportunity to do and (B) is something no planetary mission has ever included: The rover will investigate its own discarded heat shield. This has exciting potential for improving future missions. Opportunity's heat shield withstood temperatures of up to 2,700 degrees and speeds as high as 12,000 mph.

Wow.