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Opportunity

  • The Opportunity rover has spent 5,000 Martian days on the Red Planet
    Space
    Opportunity rover notches up 5,000 days on Mars and counting
    NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has clocked up 5,000 Martian days exploring the Red Planet. In that time, the robotic geologist has traversed a record 28 mi (45 km) across the surface of Mars and to celebrate this anniversary, New Atlas has put together a gallery of some of the mission's highlights.
  • Opportunity's track prints are apparent in the lower image, while the dust devil cuts a ghostly figure in the top right of the shot
    Space
    Opportunity has close encounter with Martian dust devil
    NASA's Mars Opportunity rover has captured a rare image of a Martian dust devil traveling across the surface of the Red Planet. The rover craned back to take in the view as it scaled the southern edge of the Marathon Valley in search of fresh minerals to mine.
  • Artist's impression of Opportunity, which has completed a marathon across the Martian surface (Image: NASA)
    Space
    Opportunity rover completes Martian marathon
    According to NASA, as of March 16, the Mars Opportunity rover has covered 26.219 mi (42.195 km) in the leisurely time of about 11 years and two months. or 3,968 Martian days. It landed on January 25, 2004 for a mission scheduled to last 90 Martian days, but 11 years later, it's still going strong.
  • NASA's Opportunity rover captures a stunning panorama to celebrate its 11th anniversary on Mars (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State University)
    Space
    Mars Opportunity rover celebrates 11 years on the Red Planet with impressive panorama
    NASA's Mars Opportunity rover recently celebrated its 11th anniversary on the Martian surface, marking the milestone with a stunning panoramic that doubles as a moving tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York.
  • Artist's concept of the Opportunity rover (Image: NASA)
    Space
    NASA working to fix Opportunity's memory
    NASA's Opportunity Mars rover landed on Mars in 2004 and its 90-day mission has now lasted almost 11 years. Unfortunately, its age is beginning to show with the unmanned robotic explorer beginning to display signs of memory loss.
  • Artist's impression of the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) on NASA's MAVEN spacecraft scanning the upper atmosphere of Mars (Image: NASA/Univ. of Colorado)
    Space
    Orbiters study effect of giant comet-caused meteor shower on Mars
    According to observations made by NASA and ESA orbiters, the extremely close flyby of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring was accompanied by a meteor shower larger than any seen on Earth.
  • An image displaying Opportunity's path from its deployment zone in Eagle Crater, to its current position (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/NMMNHS)
    Space
    Mars Opportunity Rover sets off-world driving record
    Having traveled a grand total of 25 miles (40 km) over the course of its historic mission of exploration, NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has taken the record for the greatest distance traveled on another planetary body.
  • Comet C/2013 A1 will pass Mars ten times closer than any observed comet has passed the Earth (Image: NASA/Swift/D. Bodewits (UMD), DSS)
    Space
    NASA prepares Mars orbiters for comet close encounter
    In October, Mars will encounter comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring, which will come closer to the Red Planet than any recorded comet has passed to Earth. NASA is taking steps to protect its Mars-orbiting spacecraft from damage by the cosmic visitor.
  • Artist's concept of Opportunity (Image: NASA)
    Space
    NASA solves Martian rock mystery
    NASA has solved the mystery of the "Martian jelly doughnut." The red-centered rock that seemingly appeared out of nowhere on January 8 is apparently a rock fragment dislodged by the Mars Exploration Rover's passing.