Opportunity rover has survived 5000 days on Mars - Sensationalist Headlines

Its original mission was 90 days long. [url]http://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/astronomy/archive/2018/02/15/wow-opportunity-rover-reaches-5-000-days-on-mars.aspx[/url] [QUOTE] On Friday, February 16, 2018, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, will be conducting its 5000th martian day of operating on the Red Planet. NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover program landed Opportunity and her twin rover, Spirit, on the martian surface in January 2004. Though a wheel failure caused Spirit to become mired in a sand trap and cease operations in 2010, Opportunity has continued on exploring Meridiani Planum and providing valuable information on the early geologic history of Mars. Originally charged with a mission success goal of 90 martian days (known as “sols” to the rover operators), Opportunity has far surpassed that goal and has driven farther than an earthly marathon race’s distance, traversing over 28 miles.[/QUOTE] An image from January of this year: [img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/1N568428036EFFD0J8P1826R0M1.jpg[/img]

Little did we know they gave it a fairly advanced artificial intelligence and it is forced to live a lonely existence where it continues its search for meaning and company.

The little Rover that could

"I'm so lonely... I have nobody..." One day, the first astronauts to land on Mars will find the little rover and bring it home.

[QUOTE=-Ben_Wolfe-;53135315]One day, the first astronauts to land on Mars will find the little rover and bring it home.[/QUOTE] They should just drop it off on the Roadster, strap it in the passenger seat. Let Starman and Oppy cruise the heavens until the Sun burns out.

[QUOTE=-Ben_Wolfe-;53135315]"I'm so lonely... I have nobody..." One day, the first astronauts to land on Mars will find the little rover and bring it home.[/QUOTE] [t]http://starecat.com/content/wp-content/uploads/mars-martian-rover-curiosity-opportunity-counting-days-comic.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=-Ben_Wolfe-;53135315]"I'm so lonely... I have nobody..." One day, the first astronauts to land on Mars will find the little rover and bring it home.[/QUOTE] [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/fb/b5/65fbb5b25289cfc62371df827d2fbcce.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=gman003-main;53135325]They should just drop it off on the Roadster, strap it in the passenger seat. Let Starman and Oppy cruise the heavens until the Sun burns out.[/QUOTE] Spirit and Opportunity are roughly the size of golf-carts, so not sure they'd fit in the passenger seat of a Tesla. :v:

[QUOTE=Zero-Point;53135479]Spirit and Opportunity are roughly the size of golf-carts, so not sure they'd fit in the passenger seat of a Tesla. :v:[/QUOTE] Space stuff is always hard to put to scale. [img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D1xrYB9G8_4/TyA82f6DlqI/AAAAAAAAAWY/7RTe6SkIPoE/s1600/nasa-mars-rovers-size-comparison.jpg[/img] That's Spirit/Opportunity on the left.

That picture is beautiful. Looks just like the deserts out here in Arizona.

I'm still sad over Rosetta. I really hope someday we can recover Spirit and Opportunity.

Nasa knows how to build long lasting equipment, keep on trucking Opportunity.

[QUOTE=Timof2009;53135460][IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/fb/b5/65fbb5b25289cfc62371df827d2fbcce.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] Shit, this made me cry when I was like 6 and I had totally forgotten it existed. [editline]15th February 2018[/editline] [quote]On Friday, February 16, 2018, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, will be conducting its 5000th martian day of operating on the Red Planet.[/quote] A Martian day is 1 day, 40 minutes long. This little guy has been trucking for 5139 Earth days. Its original mission window was thus 92.5 days. Thought that might be fun to point out.

[QUOTE=Zaex;53135307]Little did we know they gave it a fairly advanced artificial intelligence and it is forced to live a lonely existence where it continues its search for meaning and company.[/QUOTE] [url]https://curiosity.com/topics/every-year-the-curiosity-rover-sings-a-lonely-birthday-song-curiosity/[/url] If that's the case, it's probably depressed right now

[QUOTE=Richardroth;53135657]Nasa knows how to build long lasting equipment, keep on trucking Opportunity.[/QUOTE] they should make cars :v:

[QUOTE=Araknid;53136199]they should make cars :v:[/QUOTE] They do, from time to time. [IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Apollo15LunarRover.jpg/800px-Apollo15LunarRover.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Zaex;53135307]Little did we know they gave it a fairly advanced artificial intelligence and it is forced to live a lonely existence where it continues its search for meaning and company.[/QUOTE] and then one day it finds curiosity who accidentally vaporizes it with its laser [editline]16th February 2018[/editline] [QUOTE=find me;53135514]That picture is beautiful. Looks just like the deserts out here in Arizona.[/QUOTE] its a track in JPL

[QUOTE=Sableye;53136233] its a track in JPL[/QUOTE] I think they meant the picture in the OP, unless humans are at Mars or they're secretly got the rovers on Earth instead.

[QUOTE=FlandersNed;53135505]Space stuff is always hard to put to scale. [img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D1xrYB9G8_4/TyA82f6DlqI/AAAAAAAAAWY/7RTe6SkIPoE/s1600/nasa-mars-rovers-size-comparison.jpg[/img] That's Spirit/Opportunity on the left.[/QUOTE] Pretty much any media reports I've read on the rover's sizes were: Sojourner: Micro-wave Spirit/Opportunity: Golf-cart Curiosity: Minivan. :thinking:

That'd be great if for the occasion they did that super depressing brithday song thing with the beeps here too. Curiosity can do it, but I'm unsure if this one has the ability to. Either way, Opportunity should be considered a cherished treasure in the future and I hope we give it a nice place to rest once it finally shut off and we can find it again in person.

[QUOTE=Riller;53136232]They do, from time to time. [IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Apollo15LunarRover.jpg/800px-Apollo15LunarRover.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] IIRC you could walk up to any one of those things, plop a fresh battery in it, and toodle along no different than the astronauts that originally brought them up there in the first place.