Spirit and Opportunity News and Features
Scientists from around the world are gathering this week in California to take stock of the state of science from Mars and discuss goals for the next steps in exploration of the Red Planet. In the spirit of Mars 10,…
This month marks the 20th anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity’s landing on Mars, part of a mission whose legacy will extend far into the future. In January 2004, twin NASA rovers named Spirit and Opportunity touched down on opposite sides…
Opportunity’s mission is complete. Here are highlights from its time on Mars.
NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover mission is complete after 15 years on Mars. Opportunity’s record-breaking exploration laid the groundwork for future missions to the Red Planet.
Storm chasing takes luck and patience on Earth — and even more so on Mars. For scientists watching the Red Planet from NASA’s orbiters, the past month has been a windfall. “Global” dust storms, where a runaway series of storms…
Massive Martian dust storms have been challenging—and enticing—scientists for decades. Here’s the scoop on Martian dust.
Several solar system exploration missions routinely publish raw, unprocessed images taken by cameras aboard robotic spacecraft. Unlike most pictures that appear on NASA web sites, these images are not validated or calibrated, and often lack captions and other information to…
Androids rolling along distant planets were once only the stuff of science fiction. However, in recent years, mechanized trailblazers have become NASA’s precursors to human explorers. Among the most successful have been the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs), known as…