Space exploration met a milestone this week. NASA's Mars rovers have been on the red planet for an unprecedented five years collecting data. The first rover, dubbed Spirit, landed on January 3, 2004, while the second rover, named Opportunity, landed 21 days later. Scientists expected the rovers to survive the harsh conditions for only 3 months. The rovers have exceeded expectations by gathering data about water on Mars and information about the planet's soil.
The rovers' ability to survive bitter conditions and produce significant data about Mars gives the United States' space program hope. With budget cuts and reduced funding, NASA has still managed to operate a successful program. Here's to space exploration!
Originally reported by the BBC. Picture from NASA.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment