News Archive / Tagged: Mars Exploration Rover

• Farewell Opportunity: NASA ends efforts to contact silent Mars rover

  Jim SharkeyFebruary 13th, 2019

  NASA said efforts to regain communications with the Opportunity Mars rover have ended, concluding one of the agency's most successful missions.

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: Still silent, Mars rover Opportunity marks 15 years on Mars

  Jason RhianJanuary 24th, 2019

  NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, safely touched down on Mars 15 years ago today, on Jan. 24, 2004.

• Opportunity: All’s quiet on the Martian front…

  Jim SharkeyDecember 4th, 2018

  While the Martian skies have cleared of the dust that enveloped much of the Red Planet, NASA's Opportunity rover remains silent in Perseverance Valley. The rover was last heard from on June 10, 2018. As of November 27, the mission team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had sent 359 recovery commands in a effort to wake the rover.

• Opportunity spotted as dust settles on Mars

  Jim SharkeySeptember 27th, 2018

  NASA's Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, has been seen from high on orbit - but the rover still isn't responding.

• Inside Opportunity: As dust storm continues to rage Oppy sleeps

  James RiceJuly 28th, 2018

  Our Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover, situated at the Red Planet's Perseverance Valley located on the western inner rim of Endeavour Crater, continues to remain silent due to the ongoing global dust storm. The storm has placed 'Oppy' into a mode designed to protect her in instances just like the one the golf cart-sized rover is currently enduring.

• Opportunity rover has spent 5,000 Martian days on the Red Planet

  Laurel KornfeldFebruary 18th, 2018

  NASA's Opportunity rover, which landed on Mars on Jan. 25, 2004, on a 90-sol (one sol equals one Martian day) mission, just marked its 5,000th sol roving and studying the Red Planet.

• Martian crater provides reminder of Apollo 16 mission

  Jim SharkeyJune 20th, 2017

  During the 45th anniversary of Apollo 16's voyage to the Moon, NASA's Opportunity Mars rover drove by a relatively young crater on Mars' surface, providing a connection between the two missions. The feature was informally named "Orion Crater" by the Opportunity mission team, in honor of the Apollo 16 lunar module – Orion.

• NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover begins study of ‘Perseverance Valley’

  Jim SharkeyMay 19th, 2017

  NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has reached the main objective of its current two-year extended mission – an ancient fluid-carved ravine, called "Perseverance Valley", on the western rim of Endeavour Crater.

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: Opportunity rover marks 13 years on Mars

  Curt GodwinJanuary 25th, 2017

  NASA's Mars rover "Opportunity" might never be classified as speedy, averaging only slightly more than 2 miles (3.36 km) per year since its landing on Jan. 25, 2004. Nevertheless, what the stalwart explorer lacks in range is more than made up with its longevity. The rover has been in active operation on the Red Planet for 13 years, far exceeding the original planned mission of 90 sols (∼92 Earth days).

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: Mars Exploration Rover Spirit remembered 13 years after landing

  Curt GodwinJanuary 4th, 2017

  The landing of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit in January 2004 marked the beginning 13 years of continuous robotic operations on the surface of the Red Planet. In that time, multiple spacecraft, including Spirit, have beamed back textbook-rewriting information about past water activity on the red world.

• Inside Opportunity: South!

  James RiceOctober 4th, 2016

  The Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity" is continuing its epic journey across Mars. It has discovered some interesting features along the way – as the science team honors the robotic geologist's predecessors.

• Inside Opportunity: Rover discovers its own ‘Easter eggs’ at Knudsen Ridge

  James RiceMarch 28th, 2016

  PASADENA, Calif. — Since Opportunity celebrated her 12th anniversary on Mars back on the night of Jan. 24, our tenacious rover and science team have been occupied exploring the environs of Knudsen Ridge. This geological formation comprises the southern wall of Marathon Valley, which is located along the western rim of Endeavour Crater. It also has kept Opportunity, the team who operates her, and myself, very busy.

• Inside Opportunity: Twelve years and counting…

  James RiceJanuary 25th, 2016

  Twelve years ago today on Jan. 25, 2004, was the day that MER-B, Opportunity, was scheduled to land on the Red Planet. Before the many milestones and discoveries that the robotic geologist would make could occur, it had to survive seven minutes of atmospheric entry.

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: Spirit’s ordeals and triumphs begin

  Jason RhianJanuary 3rd, 2016

  On this date in space flight history, one of NASA's robotic pathfinders, the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, touched down on the surface of the Red Planet at Gusev Crater. The actual landing took place at 23:35 EST (04:35 GMT Jan. 4) on Jan. 3, 2004. It touched down some three weeks prior to its sister, Opportunity; it was the start of a mission that would last some six years and redefine the word 'perseverance'.

• Inside Opportunity: In the land of plenty

  James RiceOctober 25th, 2015

  Winter is Coming! Opportunity is on the floor of Marathon Valley, located on the western rim of Endeavour Crater on the surface of Mars. She is continuing a valley floor survey for clay minerals (phyllosilicates). Marathon Valley is some 320 meters long and up to 100 meters wide – and it is just the latest location that Opportunity has visited since the robot landed in January 2005.