Twin Mars rovers surpass expectations and keep going; NASA engineer saves stuck rover during dust storm; The challenges of winter on Mars for the rover Spirit; A young girl's fascination with black holes and dark matter.
Opportunity and Spirit, the rovers sent to explore Mars, far exceeded their expected lifespan and provided valuable evidence of Mars' past habitability.
Despite facing challenges such as treacherous terrain and dust storms, the Mars rovers inspired a new generation of scientists and engineers and paved the way for future human exploration of Mars.
Deep dives
Jennifer's Dream of Working at NASA
Jennifer Herman always dreamt of working at NASA ever since she was in third grade and saw images from the Voyager spacecraft coming back from Saturn. Her parents encouraged her to pursue math and science, and she eventually landed a job at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, working on missions to Mars.
Opportunity and Spirit, the Mars Rovers
Opportunity and Spirit were two rovers sent to explore Mars. They were about as tall as a human and had wheels that resembled legs. Despite being designed to last only 90 sols (Martian days), Opportunity and Spirit far exceeded expectations, with Opportunity even breaking the record for distance driven on another planet. These rovers provided valuable information and evidence of Mars' past habitability.
Challenges and Dust Storms
Mars is a dusty place, and the rovers often had to navigate treacherous terrain filled with sand dunes and rocky areas. They also faced the challenge of Martian dust storms, which could block out the sun and decrease their power supply. In 2007, a massive dust storm presented a significant threat to the rovers, but they were able to ride it out. Unfortunately, in 2018, Opportunity was hit by another intense dust storm from which it could not recover.
The Legacy of Opportunity and Looking to the Future
Opportunity's mission officially ended in 2019, marking the end of an era for the Mars rovers. The information gathered by Opportunity and Spirit provided evidence of Mars' past habitability and potential for finding signs of life. The rovers also inspired a new generation of scientists and engineers. As we look to the future, researchers are hopeful for human exploration of Mars and envision creating a memorial park on Mars to honor the legacy of these incredible rovers.
When twin rovers named Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars twenty years ago, they were only supposed to last 90 Martian days. But years passed, they were still alive, and engineers kept taking care of them. “I remember telling myself, ‘Please don’t die, Opportunity. Please don’t die.’”
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