NASA has announced the end of the Opportunity rover’s mission. Opportunity rolled out on to the Martian surface in 2004, 20 days after its twin, Spirit, had landed on the other side of the Mars. NASA has also released a factsheet on the two rovers.
About:
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission was a robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers – Spirit and Opportunity – with the objective of exploring the Martian surface and geology.
Features: Spirit and Opportunity were identical, golf-cart-sized, solar-powered rovers.
Landing: Spirit landed at Gusev Crater on January 4, 2004; Opportunity followed, landing on the opposite side of Mars at Meridiani Planum on January 24.
Mission Duration: Both rovers were originally supposed to have only 90-day missions. Spirit mission was declared over in 2011. Opportunity sent out its last signals in June 2018 thus working on Mars for over 14 years, longer than any other robot.
Finding Water:
Both Missions discovered that Mars was likely wetter and warmer in the past.
Opportunity was the first rover to identify and characterise sedimentary rocks on a planet other than Earth. It also discovered clay minerals that formed in neutral-pH water.
Way ahead: The rovers demonstrated reliable Mars-Earth communication. Curiosity and the upcoming Mars 2020 rovers build upon their lessons. Scientists will make new discoveries for years.
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