Opportunity Rolls On

It is absolutely incredible that I can sit here in 2017 and still talk about Opportunity. The rover's been on Mars for more than 13 years now, going along, doing its thing. And in case you've forgotten, the original mission was for 90 days. We're now at something like day 4,843.

The news from Opportunity today is that it's moving on from an area around Endeavor Crater called "Cape Tribulation", a 3 mile long raised edge, to an area called "Perseverance Valley", a location where it appears a liquid of some sort (probably water), actively carved out a channel. The distance is a few hundred yards. Doesn't sound like much, but remember, this rover doesn't move fast. It's only covered 27.6 miles in that 13 year time period.

I'll admit, this is the hugest news in the world, but I just think it's worth mentioning occasionally just how ridiculous this rover is. It has completed its mission objectives dozens of times over, and despite some difficulties, keeps on going. It's about as inspiring as a 400 pound robot could possibly be.