Musing on…Spirit and Opportunity

The space program has always been a part of my life. It wasn’t difficult, being that my dad worked in aerospace–as did I did, for a time, as a programmer (so when the “rocket science” comparison comes up, I generally know whereof I speak). As far back as I can remember, cutting-edge flight, space exploration, astronomy, and related fields have been avocations and/or vocations of mine. So, it is with more than casual interest that I applaud the remarkable MER missions.

MER?

Yup. That’s right…MER. Mar Exploration Rover. About two Earth years ago, two robots landed on the fourth planet from the Sun to begin a mission to reveal clues as to the present and historical state of Mars. The original missions for both rovers, named Spirit and Opportunity, were only to last 90 “sols” (Martian days — about forty minutes longer than an Earth day). The projected lifespan of the rovers was two- (or optimistically, three-) times that, since the temperature on Mars swings on Mars are very hard on electronics (from about -10 degrees Celsius as a high (about +15 degrees Fahrenheit) to a nightly low of about -80 degrees Celsius (-112 degrees Fahrenheit)). Look on the box of any piece of consumer electronics and see the temperature range for storage, never mind for operation.

So, the scientists figured a warranty period of 90 sols…with a long life of 270 sols at the outside. As I write this, Spirit is at Sol 685 and Opportunity is at Sol 664 (595 and 574 Sols past their warranties, respectively). Spirit has been exploring Mars for over a Martian year (about two Earth years), and Opportunity is just a week away from achieving the same milestone. Shoot, the heatsink-fan on my computer’s CPU didn’t last that long.

I’m not going to go on-and-on about the accomplishments of the mission. That’s better handled by JPL’s MER web site as well as the mission update page of the chief investigator, Steve Squyres [update: link now points to CU rover site] I think it suffices to say that even if nothing new had been learned, the longevity of these two golf-cart-sized robots in harsh conditions has been nothing short of amazing.

Sadly, the sols remaining for the rovers are numbered. Parts…necessary parts…are beginning to fail. At the moment, Opportunity is in the worst shape, but both machines at definitely in the autumn, if not the winters, of their lives. When each finally does succumb to the ravages of time, it will be very sad. But I don’t think that anyone will mourn their deaths since their lives were so bloody spectacular.

Spirit…Opportunity…I raise my glass to you. Good on yer, mates!