Comments on: Hey, What Are Spirit and Opportunity Up to These Days?

By: Logan

Logan — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:06:16 +0000

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By: Cameron

Cameron — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:40:55 +0000

Man, if I make a lot, I could make a rover trip to Mars. The spacecraft will travel about 20 percent the speed of light, so it would reach Mars in about a month or so. The technology would be similar to the stuff on Discovery Channel's Alien Planet, getting rid of the Horus probes and their drop ships. However, the rovers will take their place, and a lander will be landed in a cone with airbags on it. I'll explain more later.

By: robbb

robbb — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:57:21 +0000

how strange it would be to stand on mars and spy that dirty brown sky.

By: Sili

Sili — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:34:46 +0000

Or up North to lay themselves to rest under the wings of Phoenix.

If for some bizarre reason we do ever find ourselves on Mars, I sincerely hope that these two tough little machines are accommodated in some sort of museum with all due reverence. They truly deserve it (or we do, if you're uncomfortable anthropomorphising robotic rovers).

By: marcellus

marcellus — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:01:56 +0000

Send Spirit and Opportunity across Mars to link up with each other.

What an epic journey that would be!

By: Don Alexander

Don Alexander — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:18:24 +0000

Next mission up should be the Mars Science Laboratory, a large (think small car, not just golf cart) rover. Promises to be very interesting!!

But, of course, launch in 2009, arrival sometime 2010…

By: alandee

alandee — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:54:57 +0000

They are amazing pieces of engineering without a doubt. As is ground control in their continual tweaking and decision making.
I can't help but think we should have already sent up Gen II models though, with mobile Phoenix type labs on board .. but lots of them, live streaming HD video, core sampling bores, releasable remote control derrigibles, and a spare wheel or two for Opportunity and Spirit .. a mobile planetside assist ..
At this stage when these two little troopers do drop off the perch, and Phoenix has run out of bays or shorted out .. it's back to MRO, and that's not very hands on .. What's next in the wings for Mars ?

By: tacitus

tacitus — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:49:41 +0000

There are rocks lying on the plain around Victoria Crater that they want to get a closer look. They believe they will find more meteorites and ejecta from other craters and want to take a bigger sample that what they have found so far.

But unless Oppy survives for many more years (unlikely) there isn't anywhere close enough that is the equal of the photogenic Victoria crater. But there is still plenty of useful science to do on the plains, and given the cost of sending probes to Mars, squeezing every last drop of science out of the rovers that are already there is an eminently sensible thing to do.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:37:27 +0000

…and here I thought Victoria would be where Opportunity dies.
Go little rover go!!

By: Don Alexander

Don Alexander — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:40:46 +0000

Wow!!

Although I do wonder what Opportunity's long-time goal will now be. Victoria Crater is like the biggest and baddest around, and one must ask… "Where next to conquer?"