The Death of Opportunity by Julia Dykstra

The Death of Opportunity by Julia Dykstra

On February 13, the Mars rover, Opportunity, gave its last transmission. The rover was 15 years old, which is crazy considering it's the same age as me. During its time on Mars, the rover made tons of important discoveries about the Red Plant and everything it has to offer. The most important thing it did, arguably, was finding the first signs of past liquid water on the plant. This is so important because, dispite its abundance on Earth, it hasn't really been found on any other plants that would be suitable for life otherwise. This makes Mars the first planet that anyone could see humans potentially living on in the future. 

The time the rovers shocked the world- most of all the scientists who built them. In 2004, a time before iPhones, the rover was only expected to last 90 "sols", or Martian days. It exceeded everybody's expectations and lasted longer than its "sister" rover, Spirit, by 9 years. 

Their discoveries and longevity set NASA on a path for long term successful exploration of Mars. The rovers, specifically Opportunity, showed the word the geography of the planet, including the sandy hills and plains. What really intrigued me was that they were able to discover the weather patterns on Mars. The Rover's last transmission was, "My battery is low and it is getting dark," which I personally think is pretty sad. However, with the death of the old brings forth the opportunity for the new to come to the surface. Opportunity and Spirit have set the stage for the future, and with how fast technology has evolved, the sky is the limit for what the future holds.