I know we’re not supposed to cry over robots, especially after we send them into hostile environments a billion miles away, and especially after they run for fourteen years in their ninety-day missions.
But I’m going to anyway.
#OppyPhoneHome Update
Tonight, we’ll make our last planned attempts to contact Opportunity. The solar-powered rover last communicated on June 10, 2018, as a planet-wide dust storm swept across Mars.
Want to show the team some love? Send a postcard: https://t.co/eO2SClFcYm pic.twitter.com/trDjRNf65E
— Spirit and Oppy (@MarsRovers) February 12, 2019
Sad news. Mars rover #Opportunity is probably done. Sometime tonight, a team @NASAJPL will make their final attempt to contact #Oppy. If they can't, they'll likely call the mission. Here's what happened… 1/ pic.twitter.com/oLgATexUHN
— Jacob Margolis (@JacobMargolis) February 12, 2019
There it is–the jagged line uplink with commands–WAKE UP OPPY https://t.co/EtVyX3kGFp pic.twitter.com/4enz4CPncr
— Shannon Stirone (@shannonmstirone) February 13, 2019
Oppy didn’t answer the call.
Congratulations to the team and everyone at @NASAJPL. It’s been a wonderful 14 years. 😔 https://t.co/dgsZGk6Hx4
— Shannon Stirone (@shannonmstirone) February 13, 2019
Spent the evening at JPL as the last ever commands were sent to the Opportunity rover on #Mars. 💔
There was silence. There were tears. There were hugs. There were memories and laughs shared.#ThankYouOppy #GoodnightOppy pic.twitter.com/JYRPtKZ8T5
— Dr. Tanya Harrison (@tanyaofmars) February 13, 2019
That’s so sad. Thanks Oppy and all the team for some wonderful views of Mars. And thanks for posting it, Paul.
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