The Opportunity Mars rover left more than 28 miles of tracks on the red planet over the last 15 years.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab finally declared the mission of the Mars Rover Opportunity had come to an end today after having lost contact with it following a massive dust storm in June of 2018. for several months.
Opportunity left Earth on the summer of 2003 and landed on Mars in January of 2004. The little rover was assigned a 90-day mission, but Opportunity and her sister rover Spirit kept on running. Spirit lasted five years before getting stuck in a sand trap. These two rovers are responsible for some of the most amazing planetary science ever.
Eleven years ago I heard the project’s manager give a lecture, and he was amazed at the time that they had kept exploring for four years. I don’t think anyone imagined their missions run so long.
I know I am anthropomorphizing a non-sentient robot based on my reaction to android and robot characters from science fiction, but I don’t care.
God speed, Opportunity. You were a great explorer.
(sniff, sniff, no, I’m not crying, well, maybe a little…)
Satirical Sarcastic Rover remembers Opportunity in the WaPo
Mourn not the Opportunity we have lost… but celebrate the knowledge, the inspiration, the passion we have all gained.
I’ll miss you, friendo.
— SarcasticRover (@SarcasticRover) February 13, 2019
And a tribute from Oppy’s younger sibling, Curiosity:
It seems to me you lived your life
like a rover in the wind
never fading with the sunset
when the dust set in.Your tracks will always fall here,
among Mars' reddest hills;
your candle's burned out long before
your science ever will.#ThanksOppy. I owe you so much. pic.twitter.com/x0i5WqA9sL— Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) February 13, 2019
Oppy’s last message from last summer