NASA landed one rover on Mars in late 2004 and another in early 2005. The first rover, Spirit, got going right away according to plan. When golf-cart size Opportunity Rover landed in a second crater, the two set about seeking evidence of past water, which they found in abundance. Although both are now well past their sell by dates, NASA hopes there is a fresh opportunity for one.
Is There Hope for a Fresh Opportunity for Spirit Rover?
Spirit Rover landed in a rocky crater where it found minerals possibly deposited by water. As it climbed onto hills, it encountered more sand until becoming hopelessly stuck in a sand trap. It was unable to move to realign with the sun and died an icy death the next winter.
Opportunity Rover landed in a different Mars crater, where it found ‘substantial’ evidence of past water. It arrived at Endeavor Crater eight years later, and beamed back photos of distinct sedimentary rocks. A regional dust storm began in late May 2018, and spread into a planet-circling monster. This obscured the sun to the extent the rover could not charge its batteries. However, as the dust starts subsiding, it may have a fresh opportunity to wake up.
Scientists Monitoring the Gradual Settling of Dust
When Opportunity Rover arrived in Endeavor Crater, the air opacity was 0.5 on the Tau Scale. However, it stood at 10.8 as the dust storm strengthened and the rover sent its last tweet. The Tau level has fallen to between 2.1 and 2.5. NASA engineers are hoping the aging rover will be able to recharge.
They ping Opportunity Rover several times a day during scheduled wake-up periods, but have not heard a chirp or a twitter so far. They hope the dust storm kept the batteries warm enough to survive. However, they are unsure whether the batteries have retained sufficient capacity, after lying dormant for so long. So a fresh opportunity exists, but there is no guarantee.
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Preview Image: Testing Opportunity Rover Before Launch
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