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Jan. 5th, 2009 10:05 pm
The little rovers that could
They were originally intended to operate for 90 days. Anything more than that would be considered a bonus.
But Spirit and Opportunity have been working for five years, and NASA plans to continue operating them as long as they keep working, or at least until the end of this year.
But even after such an extended mission, they still haven't beaten the record held by the Viking I lander of six years and 116 days (and it would have been longer except for human error when updating its software). They have something to shoot for and, given their past performance, I wouldn't be surprised if they make it.
But Spirit and Opportunity have been working for five years, and NASA plans to continue operating them as long as they keep working, or at least until the end of this year.
But even after such an extended mission, they still haven't beaten the record held by the Viking I lander of six years and 116 days (and it would have been longer except for human error when updating its software). They have something to shoot for and, given their past performance, I wouldn't be surprised if they make it.