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15 Stories

January 2009
- Built for 90 Days, Mars Rovers Mark 5 Years
  
  Space.com | Jan 3, 09 3:55 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - NASA’s twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity are celebrating their fifth birthdays on Mars after surviving more than 20 times their expected lifespan, Space.com reports. The two probes were each built for a 90-day trek across the Red Planet but have survived computer glitches and blistering weather conditions. “These rovers are incredibly resilient,” said a NASA project manager. More »
December 2008
- New Rover Won't Hit Mars Until 2011
  
  Space.com | Dec 4, 08 3:57 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - NASA is delaying the launch of its next Mars rover, which is significantly larger and more complex than previous models, until 2011, Space.com reports. The Mars Science Laboratory was set to arrive on the red planet next year, but problems with crucial mechanical components mean it will miss its tight launch window. “We're really only a few months behind schedule, not two years behind schedule,” said the director of the exploration program. More »
April 2008
- Scientists say motor on Mars rover's robotic arm worsens
  
  Associated Press | Apr 23, 08
  
  NASA engineers say a balky arm on one of the Mars rovers has worsened recently.Last week, a tiny motor in Opportunity's arm that controls the sideways motion of the shoulder joint stopped working while the robot was exploring an inner crater slope. The failure meant that the rover could not extend its arm.The shoulder motor, one of five in the robotic arm, has stalled several times since 2005 and usually starts up again by applying voltage.
March 2008
- Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts
  
  Washington Post | Mar 26, 08 7:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NASA has spared its far-flung Mars rovers from budget cuts, reports the Washington Post, after its administrator got wind of the plan to hibernate Spirit and roll Opportunity back to part time. "Closing down either of the rovers is not on the table," his spokesman said, and underlings are looking elsewhere for cuts. More »
- $4M NASA Cut May Strand Mars Rover
  
  CNN | Mar 24, 08 8:38 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NASA confirmed and denied plans today to scuttle a Mars rover and fire 300 employees, CNN reports. The space agency first announced a $4 million cut to the Mars program's $20 million budget and vowed to unplug one of two rovers roaming the red planet. Then a NASA spokesman told CNN that "the cancellation of the Mars Exploration Rovers is not under consideration." More »
February 2008
- Mars Was Too Salty for Life
  
  BBC | Feb 16, 08 7:58 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Hopes that Mars may once have supported life have taken a blow with the discovery that the planet has been too salty for life for much of its history, the BBC reports. "It was salty enough that only a handful of known terrestrial organisms would have a ghost of a chance of surviving there when conditions were at their best," a member of NASA's Mars rover team said. More »
January 2008
- OMG! Bigfoot on Mars! Run!
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jan 24, 08 6:19 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - After nearly four years of important discoveries, it has taken a tiny rock outcropping that looks like Bigfoot to make people passionate about the Mars rovers, the Telegraph reports. Conspiracy theorists are sure a photo snapped in 2004 reveals an alien, or perhaps a creature like Sasquatch. "I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what appears to be a naked alien running around on Mars," writes one blogger. More »
September 2007
- Opportunity Knocks on Mars
  
  Associated Press | Sep 28, 07 10:47 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NASA’s Martian explorer Opportunity reached its first destination inside the cavernous Victoria Crater yesterday and prepared to get to work drilling into bright rock layers to collect data. The six-wheeled robot last month began the precarious decline into the crater, headed for a shiny piece of bedrock that scientists think is a relic of the ancient Martian surface, the AP reports. More »
- Mars Rover Steps Into Crater
  
  Wired | Sep 13, 07 6:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The dust has finally settled on Mars, and NASA's Mars rover Opportunity took its first steps Tuesday 13 feet into the half-mile-wide Victoria Crater—and then backed out after slipping beyond acceptable levels. With Opportunity's six wheels perched over the lip of the crater, researchers paused the operation in order to analyze data collected in the foray, Wired reports. More »
July 2007
- Martian Dust Imperils Rover Mission
  
  Reuters | Jul 22, 07 9:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The violent dust storm that has immobilized NASA's Mars rovers for three weeks shows no signs of letting up, and is now threatening the future of the mission. "This is by far the worst storm the rovers have ever seen," the rovers project manager told reporters. "Now it's all about saving power." More »
- Mars Rover Crater Descent Delayed by Dust Storm
  
  Fox News | Jul 6, 07 3:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Mars Opportunity Rover has been perched on the edge of Victoria Crater on Mars for nine months waiting to descend and explore the crater. Then, this week, when scientists were to send it down, a dust storm thousands of miles wide partially blocked the sunlight Opportunity needs to recharge its batteries. Until the dust abates the mission is on hold. More »
January 2006
- Analysis: Mars rover marks second anniversary of landing - All Things Considered
  
  NPR | Jan 3, 06
  
  As we speak, two remarkable robots are hard at work more than 30 million miles away on the surface of Mars. The six-wheeled explorers known as Spirit and Opportunity were supposed to last 90 days. Well, tonight is the two-year anniversary of Spirit's landing, and both rovers are going strong. They've provided scientists with data to back up their theories about whether Mars was once a wetter, warmer planet, one that could have harbored life. NPR's Joe Palca reports.
January 2005
- NASA Rovers' Adventures on Mars Continue
  
  NASA | Jan 3, 05
  
  NASA lit a birthday candle today for its twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity. The Spirit rover begins its second year on Mars investigating puzzling rocks unlike any found earlier.The rovers successfully completed their three-month primary missions in April. They astound even their designers with how well they continue operating. The unanticipated longevity is allowing both rovers to reach additional destinations and to keep making discoveries. Spirit landed on Jan. 3 and Opportunity Jan. 24, 2004, respectively.
January 2004
- Second rover lands successfully on Mars
  
  Deseret News (via HighBeam) | Jan 25, 04
  
  NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars late Saturday, arriving at the Red Planet exactly three weeks after its identical twin set down, prompting whoops and che