There is a new champion on the red planet, in terms of longevity that is, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has surpassed the endurance record of Viking 1. The lander held the record for decades, (the lander was accidentally turned off in 1982 and contact could not be reestablished) until this week when Opportunity surpassed it. The Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity have been on Mars since 2004 and have provided countless new discoveries about our next door, (celestially speaking) neighbor.
The rovers were only expected to last 90 days – and have gone on to last some six years, (Spirit has not communicated with ground controllers and is thought to be in hibernation mode). Spirit may yet wake up and yank the duration-prize from her sister – but until then the prize goes to Opportunity. Much of the twin rovers’ missions successes have gone to this particular rover.
When Opportunity landed she hit a cosmic ‘hole-in-one’ by landing in a crater that had exactly what the science team was looking for – exposed bedrock. She would go on to prove that Mars had once been a ‘wet’ planet with briny seas dotting the now freeze-dried world. Opportunity has also gone on to discover some three meteorites lying on the Martian surface. Currently the rover is heading toward a geologically interesting crater that scientists hope will provide more history about the planet’s past.
Comments