Nasa’s Opportunity rover sent its first pictures of Mars to Earth, delighting and puzzling scientists just hours after the spacecraft bounced to a landing.

NASA'S Opportunity rover zipped its first pictures of Mars to Earth early yesterday, delighting and puzzling scientists just hours after the spacecraft bounced to a landing on the opposite side of the red planet from its twin rover, Spirit.

NASA’s Spirit rover yielded the sharpest picture ever taken of the surface of Mars, revealing in breathtaking detail a completely rust-coloured landscape strewn with rocks.