NASAs Opportunity was one of 2 Mars Exploration Rovers, together with its twin, Spirit. It was launched in July 2003 and landed on Mars in January 2004 for what was anticipated to be a 90-day objective. But the robust rover far outlasted its prepared life time, checking out the Martian surface area and sending back invaluable data for 14 years until contact was lost in 2018. Opportunity made numerous crucial clinical discoveries, including the very first proof of liquid water in Marss past, and traveled over 28 miles on the Martian surface, making it the longest range covered by any lorry on another world.
NASAs Spirit, the twin rover to Opportunity, was also released in 2003 and arrived at Mars three weeks prior to Opportunity. It was operational for six years, from 2004 till 2010, and made significant contributions to our understanding of the Red Planet. Spirits landing website was in Gusev Crater, thought to have actually when held a lake. Its search for indications of previous water here was at first inconclusive, Spirit ultimately discovered proof of ancient hydrothermal activity, recommending Mars once had conditions that might have supported life. Its objective ended when it became stuck in a sand trap, but Spirits clinical legacy lives on through the wealth of information it supplied.
JPL and the Space Age Video Series
The aeroshell protects the rover from fiery temperatures as it gets in the Martian environment in January, 2004. Credit: NASA
In the summer season of 2003 two rovers started their journeys to Mars at a time when the Red Planet and Mars were the closest they had actually been to each other in 60,000 years. The rovers had been built at breakneck speed by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After picture-perfect landings, the 2 intrepid rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, went on to rove Mars for years, becoming major icons in NASA tradition.
Landing on Mars is the story of how 2 rovers endured an enormous solar flare throughout cruise, the now well understood “Six Minutes of Terror” (the six minutes from the time a spacecraft traveling at 12,000 mph strikes the top of the Martian atmosphere until it reaches surface area), and what came close to being a mission ending software error for the first rover once it was on the ground.
In the summertime of 2003 2 rovers began their journeys to Mars at a time when the Red Planet and Mars were the nearest they had actually been to each other in 60,000 years. The rovers had actually been developed at breakneck speed by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After picture-perfect landings, the 2 brave rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, went on to rove Mars for years, becoming significant icons in NASA lore.
NASAs Spirit, the twin rover to Opportunity, was also released in 2003 and landed on Mars 3 weeks prior to Opportunity.