Summary, shamelessly copied from clayt6 on Reddit's r/space: It's amazing Opportunity has lasted this long; hopefully they are able to make one last contact with the "little rover that could":
Summary, shamelessly copied from clayt6 on Reddit's r/space:
The martian skies are finally clearing after a global dust storm shrouded the Red Planet for the past two months. Now, scientists are trying to reboot the Mars Opportunity Rover, which has already roamed the planet for over 5,000 days despite being slated for only a 90-day mission.
It's amazing Opportunity has lasted this long; hopefully they are able to make one last contact with the "little rover that could":
But even once the rover has (hopefully) been recovered, she might never be the same. If prolonged hibernation has affected overall battery capacity, they might not be able to retain enough power to run the much-needed heaters that keep the rover warm enough to survive martian winters. If this is the case, Opportunity may survive the next few months only to perish in the cold when winter hits.
Summary, shamelessly copied from clayt6 on Reddit's r/space:
It's amazing Opportunity has lasted this long; hopefully they are able to make one last contact with the "little rover that could":