Here’s Looking at You, Kid by UrsusArctos -- Fur Affinity [dot] net

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Here’s Looking at You, Kid

by UrsusArctos Photographer/Writer

8 years ago

Twin robotic rovers, Spirit and Opportunity landed the surface of Mars in January 2004 and remained operational until March 2010 and May 2011, respectively. The Cosmosphere space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas, has a replica of these rovers. The top of the mast held panoramic and navigation cameras plus the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer instrument.

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Category Sub-Category Species Resolution File Size Photography Miscellaneous Unspecified / Any 1280 x 855 682.6 kB

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spirit opportunity mars rover camera mast cosmosphere space museum hutchinson kansas u_ursusarctos c_photography t_miscellaneous s_unspecified_any

DaiCymru ~daicymru

Insert Tea Here

8 years ago

I imagine that the little green men on Mars are making binoculars out of both rovers' cameras, as we speak. :P

Thanks for sharing! ^__^

UrsusArctos ~ursusarctos

Photographer/Writer

8 years ago

Thanks for the comment.
Maybe the Martians are using those cameras to build lenses for their heat rays.

velantian ~velantian

Photographer

8 years ago

Amazing machines

UrsusArctos ~ursusarctos

Photographer/Writer

8 years ago

They are! I totally geek-out over anything related to space exploration.

PlumYote ~lickyluckylatrans

Yote

8 years ago

It always amazed me how delicate yet durable the little gold leafed panels and hoses are. NASA and other space agencies are really pulling off some functional artwork in their designs. :)

UrsusArctos ~ursusarctos

Photographer/Writer

8 years ago

Talk about durable! The Spirit and Opportunity missions were both originally planned to last 90 Martian days (sols), which are about 40 minutes longer than Earth Days. Both received extensions and Spirit lasted 2,208 sols before it ceased operation in 2010. On February 15, 2018, Opportunity celebrated its 5,000th sol and it continues to operate nearly 14 earth years beyond its original plan.

PlumYote ~lickyluckylatrans

Yote

8 years ago

Holy smokes they're running ages past the due date! Leave it to NASA to stand and deliver beyond the call of duty. With all the politics and bureaucracy within the organization it's amazing that they pull through, but when they do it's spectacular. The Hubble Telescope still amazes me. :)

Cp~ ~cp~

Et observet somnia

8 years ago

Cool close-up. Sadly, the fate of that little brave rover remains uncertain:

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/....._5000_sol_axe/

UrsusArctos ~ursusarctos

Photographer/Writer

8 years ago

Thanks for the kind comment and for the link as well. It would be sad to pull the plug on Opportunity. But I could be satisfied if that NASA would apply the savings towards building something new such as a probe to drill into Europa's ice or a rover for Titan.

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