44 SERVO 03.2014
It was "supposed" to stop working in April 2004, but today, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is still on the job. Even though Opportunity's companion rover, Spirit, ended its operation in March 2010, Opportunity
is still driving around the Martian surface and
relaying incredible imagery back to Earth.
Sporting an odometer reading of 24+ miles, you can
currently find NASA's oldest rover driving up Murray Ridge
above Solander Point on the rim of the 14 mile wide
Endeavour Crater in the Meridani Planum region of
equatorial Mars. Not wishing to take Opportunity's
extended lease on life for granted, NASA scientists are
programming the rover's new destination for the southern
Cape Tribulation section of Endeavour's rim. Based on its
current longevity, there's no reason not to believe
Opportunity will reach this new site.
In an age of discovery, however, it's not about how far
you've driven, rather the name of the game is "What
evidence have you found?" and Opportunity's trump card
has been the discovery of substantial evidence for the
existence of ancient liquid water.
Yes, water! The stuff that's a major ingredient in
forming/supporting carbon-based life. Alas, Opportunity's
initial aqueous discovery of mineral hematite proved that
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By Dave Prochnow
Opportunity's empty nest. This image taken by the panoramic camera onboard Opportunity shows the
rover's now-empty lander — the Challenger Memorial Station — at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The image
was acquired on the 24th martian day (or sol) of Opportunity's mission at approximately 13:00 Local
Solar Time. This is a mosaic image consisting of 12 color images acquired with the camera's red,
green, and blue filters. The color balance has been set to approximate the colors that a human eye
would see.
