MER - 2007 and counting

empress · Post by **empress** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 4:46 pm

Darn dust storm!!!

After 3 years (in spite of their 3-month warranty), the two Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still going. I have to say that they are my favorite non-crewed space mission going right now, probably because those little guys are so tough! (OK, and the team behind them is pretty darn terrific, too!)

The huge dust storm on Mars has quieted the rovers right now, especially Opportunity, who is poised to delve into a deep crater (Victoria Crater). At first, the winds from the storm were good, blowing away dust that had accumulated on the solar panels. Now the dust is partially blocking the sunlight, making the solar panels basically useless. So what's a little rover to do? Why, conserve battery power and wait until the storm passes.

So, does anyone want to weigh in on any of the Mars programs going on right now???

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:56 am

Ah yes, the MER rovers are amazing!! I must agree that they are my favourite un-manned explorers too. And, speaking of which, I should build my big LEGO MER Rover again - that thing is awesome.

Mercergl · Post by **Mercergl** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 7:31 pm

We just watched Roving Mars at SA last week, I am amazed at the brilliance of their design!

des · Post by **des** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:30 pm

Oh yes, makes me want to work for JPL. I watch some NASA tv on them.

--des

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:27 am

I got to see the test model when I was at JPL a while back. Marvellous robots indeed!

Since I cannot link to photos in the Hab1 Photo Portal, here are the links:

The "Mars Yard":
http://spacecamp.ibnerd.net/main.php?g2_itemId=4162

MER Rover Lander:
http://spacecamp.ibnerd.net/main.php?g2_itemId=4165

MER Rover:
http://spacecamp.ibnerd.net/main.php?g2_itemId=4168

Pathfinder: (so tiny compared to MER!)
http://spacecamp.ibnerd.net/main.php?g2_itemId=4171