Mars Rovers Extended Mission

[UTEOTW]

After spending over $800 million dollars to build them and get them there for a nominal 90 day mission, and having survived a first six month extension beyond that, NASA has come up with another $2.8 million to extend the missions another 6 months. The craft are still in good working order. Opportunity will take the chance and make a 3 mile trek over to a large crater, Victoria crater, with a stop at its heat shield along the way.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/rover_extension_040921.html

 

[Gina B]

It's pretty neat to see stuff like this is possible! It's also a big reminder of what we're uncapable of, when we see how much there is out there to explore and learn about.
Gina

 

[dianetavegia]

Here's a wonderful link for kids AND adults.

Our children's names and our names were on the disk!

The Mars Polar Lander also carried the Mars Name Disk! Nearly 1 million unique names were collected from individuals around the world, and placed on a CD-ROM disk which was placed on top of the lander. You can still send your name to Mars on one of the Rover-2003 missions by going to the Send Your Name to Mars web-site!


Unfortunately, we are very sorry to report that the CD-ROM bearing all the names was mounted on the failed Mars Polar Lander, which was launched on January 3, 1999.

A total of 932,816 unique names was sent to Mars on the Mars Polar Lander.

Each name had a print out available. We framed Nick's and sent the children theirs.


http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/osskids/mars/news.htm

 

[UTEOTW]

Did your kids take the news of the loss of the polar lander hard since it had their names on it? I think that when I was a kid, that would have given me a feeling of personal connection to the craft and the loss of it would have been at least a little upsetting.

You might be interested to know that there is a new lander rising from the ashes, so to speak, of the failures at the time. It is name appropriately enough the Phoenix lander. It is set for launch in 2007. I think it was built but never sent becuase of the Polar Lander loss. It will also go to the pole.

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

 

[dianetavegia]

Originally posted by UTEOTW:
Did your kids take the news of the loss of the polar lander hard since it had their names on it? I think that when I was a kid, that would have given me a feeling of personal connection to the craft and the loss of it would have been at least a little upsetting.

Nah... My kids are 33, 29, 28 and almost 10.

 

[jcrawford]

Originally posted by UTEOTW:
After spending over $800 million dollars to build them and get them there for a nominal 90 day mission, and having survived a first six month extension beyond that, NASA has come up with another $2.8 million to extend the missions another 6 months. The craft are still in good working order. Opportunity will take the chance and make a 3 mile trek over to a large crater, Victoria crater, with a stop at its heat shield along the way.

Well, it certainly is good news to learn of the US govt's diligent search for signs of the evolutionary origins of life on Mars since they haven't found any evidence so far to prove that evolution started on earth.

Keep up the good reporting on all scientific development on Mars in the future, will you, Ute?

I only wish that I could afford a land rover here upon earth.

Then I would be able to go on some really serious scientific expeditions into the heart and soul of the dark continent of Africa.