Science He kept it almost sixty times longer than expected, but today, after fifteen years probably decided say bye to him: the Marsrobot Opportunity will reach the end on the planet Mars. The high-tech cart came eight months ago in a heavy dust storm and shows since then no sign of life any more.
Sorrow and sadness everywhere yesterday at NASA headquarters, where the scientists last tried to make contact with Opportunity, without success. The storm of last year, the heaviest in decades, the robot is likely to cost the life. The martian surface was made by the storm for months in thick dust clouds shrouded, so Opportunity’s solar panels, no service is able to do more. the
But in addition to grief dominates their lives was particularly proud that the Marswagentje so long has weighed. Originally it was intended that Opportunity, and his brother Spirit, at the beginning of 2004 on the other side of the planet landed, a mission of approximately three months would perform. Spirit could the to 2011 uitzingen, the Opportunity was there, so still a few years to do.
Spent the evening at JPL as the last ever commands were sent to the Opportunity rover on #Mars.
