This picture shows the spot that the Opportunity Mars rover has been sitting on for the last 19 weeks doing its level best to try not to starve to death from lack of solar power. Or I guess, unlevel best, since she was stuck on that little outcropping (called Greely Haven) to keep her solar panels oriented more directly at the sun. But now, the sun is high enough in the sky for Oppy to get her roll on, and she snapped this pic looking backwards after a 3-meter drive into unexplored terrain.
It’s a shame that Opportunity doesn’t make the news every single day for the fact that she’s still wandering around on Mars and doing science. I mean, the robot landed in 2004. I barely remember 2004. Her original mission was slated to last 90 days, but she’s gone beyond that by over 2,800 days. Besides dust collecting on the rover’s solar panels, the only issue Opportunity has really had is a misbehaving shoulder joint, which necessitates driving with her arm deployed. Not bad for a total distance driven of nearly 35 kilometers.
via IEEE Spectrum
