When a dust storm overtook the Mars rover Spirit this month, the robot had one thing on its side that helped it survive: advance warning.

A crater in the southern highlands of Mars hides these spectacular dune fields, painted by seasonal frost and sculpted by countless ages of wind.

New research supports the idea that Saturn’s moon Enceladus has vents that act as nozzles channeling water vapor from a warm, probably liquid source to the surface at supersonic speeds.

Here’s a closer look at the small rock mentioned a few days ago that Opportunity is inspecting.

This is one small section of the high-resolution “Bonestell” panorama that Spirit has nearly completed from its winter resting spot on “Home Plate” in Gusev Crater.