Tag: Opportunity
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YIR II: Curiosity & Opportunity – Revelations, pushing the limits of longevity
From the orbits of the inner solar system to the surface of Mars. For Curiosity and Opportunity, 2016 continued the rovers’ revelations of the mysteries of the Martian surface – providing scientists with confirmation of long-held theories while also revealing surprises about Mars’ geologic past and providing new research for the eventual push of human exploration…
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Opportunity rover snaps photo of Martian dust devil
Credit: NASA / JPL / Cornell / Ken Kremer (kenkremer.com) / Marco Di Lorenzo NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover has captured a dust devil spinning across the barren floor of Endeavour Crater, an impact basin the robot has explored since 2011 in the mission’s long-lived second act. The color mosaic presented here, created by Dr. Ken Kremer and Marco…
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Mars rover re-routed after spinning wheels on steep hillside
A shadow and tracks of NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity appear in this March 22, 2016, image, which has been rotated 13.5 degrees to adjust for the tilt of the rover. The hillside descends to the left into “Marathon Valley.” The floor of Endeavour Crater is seen beneath the underside of a solar panel. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech…
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With memory restored, Opportunity rover completes marathon on Mars
This self-portrait of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows effects of wind events that had cleaned much of the accumulated dust off the rover’s solar panels. The image combines multiple frames taken by Opportunity’s panoramic camera in March 2014. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ. NASA’s Opportunity rover trekking across Mars completed a marathon’s worth of…
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Aging Mars rover could be shut down
The Opportunity Mars acquired images for this self-portrait mosaic in March 2014. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ. NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, working well past their expected lifetimes, could be shut down in fiscal year 2016 as the agency tries to balance funding for older missions and development of modernized new space…
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Curiosity confirms organics on Mars; Opportunity’s 10 year anniversary
Mars dominated planetary research headlines in 2014 as an international fleet of orbiters and NASA’s two rovers returned unparalleled scientific research on the Red Planet. In 2014, scientists marked Opportunity’s 10-year anniversary on Mars, watched the near miss of comet Siding Spring, and announced Curiosity’s groundbreaking confirmation of the presence of organics on the surface…
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Ten Years On: Opportunity’s unparalleled time and mission on Mars
Ten years ago, 25 January 2004, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity slammed into the Martian atmosphere, beginning what was supposed to be a 90 Mars day (sol) mission on the surface of Mars. Ten years and 3,557 Mars days (3,653 Earth days) later, Opportunity is remarkably still functioning, unlocking the mysteries of Mars and serving…
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YIR (Part III) – Mars exploration continues; India joins an elite club
2013 was another year dominated by the increase in robotic exploration of humanity’s most sought-after and elusive terrestrial neighbor. With two active rovers, a fleet of orbiting vehicles, and two new missions in 2013, Mars exploration continues to pave the way for the next generation of crewed space exploration. ESA’s Mars Express: For the European…