Opportunity is a robotic rover that was active on the planet Mars from 2004 to 2018.[1] Launched on July 7, 2003, Opportunity landed on Mars' Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004, at 05:05 Ground UTC (about 13:15 Mars local time), three weeks after its twin Spirit (MER-A), also part of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission, touched down on the other side of the planet.[2] While Spirit became immobile in 2009, and ceased communications in 2010, Opportunity exceeded its planned 90 sol (Martian days) duration of activity by 14 years 46 days (in Earth time). Opportunity continued to move, gather scientific observations, and report back to Earth until 2018. What follows is a summary of events during its continuing mission.
Opportunity started in Eagle crater in 2004, literally landing inside on the crater basin, then it travelled outward making its way to Endurance crater. After this it went to Victoria crater, all the way making many panoramas, measurements, studying rocks, and smaller craters, even what are thought to be meteorites. It then traveled to Endeavour crater, where it has been making its way south along the Western rim. On June 10, 2018, contact was lost when a global dust storm blotted out the Sun, thus depriving the rover of enough power for operations, and communication with Earth. In September 2018, after the storm subsided, NASA began making various efforts to contact, and listen to the rover if it endured the storm. NASA officials declared that the Opportunity mission was complete on February 13, 2019, after it failed to wake from over 1,000 repeated signals sent since August 2018.[3]
- ^ Nelson, Jon. "Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity". NASA. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ "Spirit" landed on January 4, 2004.
- ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Rover Update: All". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-13.