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Speculations may be proved correct.
It has been given 45 days to speak up or shut up for good. The clock is ticking...
Looks like NASA will use the large dust storm on Mars to be their excuse to dump the rover after all it has done. I guess it is time to move on and to focus on other things now, even though there are still good science experiments and functions which the rover can perform. Maybe the scientists want to move on to something more interesting perhaps?
At least get your facts straight before accusing NASA of using the dust storm as an "excuse to dump" the Opportunity.
Quote:
Regardless of when that 45-day period ends, the team will continue passively listening through the end of January, John Callas, Opportunity project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Space.com.
At least get your facts straight before accusing NASA of using the dust storm as an "excuse to dump" the Opportunity.
Amazing how it's outperformed its original mission by what, 20-30x? 14 years roaming around Mars is amazing even if it doesn't wake up again. Quite a legacy.
Amazing how it's outperformed its original mission by what, 20-30x? 14 years roaming around Mars is amazing even if it doesn't wake up again. Quite a legacy.
Amazing indeed. Opportunity landed on January 25, 2004 and was expected to function for a 90-day mission.
58.3 times longer than NASA expected. That says a lot about the engineering that went into building it.
Not to mention the logistics of getting it to Mars and landing it.
Too many missions missed the planet or hard impacted. I think only NASA has been successful.
I think they were hedging their bets with a 90 day mission plan. It also might have been funding-related. Easier to ask for more when the rover is going around than up front.
Seems like some type of a dust wiper for the solar panels would have been a useful addition at this point. Even if it is just clearing part of the dust overlay.
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