Even as its twin goes dark, Opportunity soldiers on unabated: The plucky NASA Mars rover, on planet for seven years now, just passed an impressive 30-kilometer milestone.
Next on its plate is the massive 14-mile-wide Endeavour crater, just two miles away.
The picture, while impressive, is not perfect. Cosmic rays have bombarded the rover more than usual lately and there is a power-related issue with the right front wheel. Nevertheless, the 3-month mission, now in year seven, has been incredible at every step of the way.
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Is it too much to ask for another seven? [CNET]
DISCUSSION
I thought about this the other day on watching a documentary on the Mars program. If the rovers essentially die because their solar panels get blocked from the martian dust, why can't they just make some sort of windshield wiper?