The Mars Opportunity Rover Has Defied All Odds for 15 Years. But Now, It Could Be in Danger

NASA’s Opportunity Rover has defied all the odds and is celebrating her 15-year anniversary Saturday — but it’s unclear how much longer it will last amid the dust storm that has taken over a quarter of Mars. On July 7, 2003, NASA launched Opportunity to Mars, the second of the two rovers launched that year to explore the red planet in search of signs of past life. Opportunity was initially meant to be on a 90-day mission, but is still exploring Mars and sending back extraordinary images and intel on Mars. Since arriving on Mars in January 2004, the 384-pound rover has made crucial discoveries that have shaped our understanding of Mars. Most notably, the evidence that at one point, a part of Mars had water for an extended period of time — meaning the planet had the right conditions to support microbial life, a necessary requirement for sustaining life on Earth. The rover has also investigated two craters on Mars, Victoria and Endeavour, according to NASA. Opportunity, which is powered by solar energy, has been in hibernation for weeks following a giant dust storm swirling on Mars. According to NASA, despite the lack of sun due to the storm, Opportunity was built to survive extreme colds and the rover’s batteries have stayed warm enough to function. NASA said they do not expect to hear from Opportunity until the skies begin to clear over the rover. Mars Storm Watch: The dust storm now circles the planet. No signal yet from Opportunity, but no r...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized onetime space Source Type: news