Mawrth Vallis, Mars (Source: NASA)
Is there anything the NASA Mars Rovers can't do?
Am I the only one who is happy to know the NASA Mars Rovers are once again doing what they do best? Both rovers are actively gathering scientific data to help offer researchers on Earth acquire crucial material for future missions to the Red Planet.
After large dust storms halted the NASA Mars Rovers for more than six weeks, I began to doubt if the mission could continue, especially with some rumors that NASA would just let the rovers fade into space history. The storms finally lifted, allowing NASA to let the vehicles continue on limited movement.
"Weather and power conditions continue to improve, although very slowly for both rovers," said John Callas, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory project manager, right after the rovers were able to continue their work.
Recently, NASA reported on its web site that Opportunity is in the crater "as the start of a multi-week investigation on the big bowl's inner slope." The first goal of the mission is a small piece of exposed rock researchers hope will offer a glimpse of any interaction "between the Martian atmopshere and surface from millions of years ago."
Rover Opportunity - scheduled to study the deep Victoria Crater - is carefully exploring the outer rims of Victoria Crater.
Originally expected to be the final resting place of the Opportunity, NASA indicates they have several different routes the rover can hopefully use to get out of the crater.
Mars Rover Spirit is still cruising around the Red Planet's Home Plate.
I don't honestly know how much life the rovers have left, but let's just hope that they can continue to surprise everyone back on Earth.
"Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine." -- Bill Gates
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