\"...It's Getting Dark\"

“..It’s Getting Dark”

Mars Rover Ends Its Journey

By: Austen Cummings

Photo from Wikipedia

After 15 years on the Red Planet, the Opportunity Rover Mission came to an end. The Opportunity rover was designed to only last 90 Martian days and travel around 1,100 yards, but that was the case in 2004. Opportunity quickly surpassed expectations in its endurance, scientific value, and longevity. The little rover travelled more than 28 miles until it reached its final resting spot. The Perseverance Valley was a fitting name for the Opportunity rover’s last track on Mars. This mission came to an end after a massive, planet-wide dust storm completely blanketed the rover’s location in June of 2018. Though the dust storm eliminated any physical traces of the rover, its mission paves the way for the brave men and women that will soon walk Mars’ surface, like they did so many years before. Engineers from NASA’s Space Flight Operations sent thousands of commands to revive the Opportunity, but had little success. The final communication attempt from the rover was received on June 10. The final message sent back to Earth gave the rover a personality that made the internet fall in love with it: “My Battery is low and it’s getting dark.” This quote has been used throughout social media as a way to pay tribute to the rover that unknowingly did so much for its home planet. The next Mars rover is scheduled to be sent in 2020, with the hopes of finding a new sustainable home.