NASA pays tribute to their vehicles fighting it out on the surface of the Mars

The American space agency NASA has reasons to be proud over their vehicles currently stationed on the Mars planet. The scientists at the space origination are in fact, paying tribute to these two vehicles Spirit and Opportunity, which have survived the tough atmosphere and inhospitable conditions on Mars for six-times longer than expected.

They have also done magnificently well with their purpose as they have already sent back to earth close to 100,000 images from the red planet. The two vehicles have traveled close to 11 KM on the surface of the Mars between them. This is quite an impressive achievement if we consider the kind of terrain they have to face on the surface of the red planet.

NASA had originally expected them to last for close to 3 months. However, they hit the jackpot when they realized that the strong winds blowing off the dust covering their solar panels dramatically improved the lifetime probability of these crafts. NASA is now planning to use these vehicles as long as they can survive on the planet Mars.

Joy Crisp, Scientist, Mars Exploration Rover Project said in a statement: “So, we’re going to keep using these rovers. They’re still in good health, and see how long they go and do as much as we can with them.”

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