On Opportunity's first three drives to get out of the sand trap, the rover has advanced a total of 7.4 centimeters (2.9 inches) in getting off the dune.
Each of the first two drives – one on sol 463 and one on sol 465 – turned the wheels about two and a half rotations, enough to drive two meters (7 feet) if there were no slippage.
Images from the hazard-avoidance cameras taken during the drives show that some of caked powder adhering to wheels between cleats had come off. The team was encouraged by the results, and decided go ahead with a 4-meter (13-foot) commanded drive for sol 466.
Sol-by- sol summaries:
