RIP Mars rover: See some of its best pictures from 15 years on the red planet
NASA declared its Mars rover Opportunity officially dead after almost 15 years exploring the red planet, calling it “one of the most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration.”
The rover stopped talking to Earth in June after a severe dust storm, NASA said in a press release Wednesday.
“It is because of trailblazing missions such as Opportunity that there will come a day when our brave astronauts walk on the surface of Mars,” NASA’s Jim Bridenstine said in the release. “And when that day arrives, some portion of that first footprint will be owned by the men and women of Opportunity, and a little rover that defied the odds and did so much in the name of exploration.”
One of Opportunity’s most well-know discoveries was the evidence of water. The rover, NASA writes, “Discovered strong indications at Endeavour Crater of the action of ancient water similar to the drinkable water of a pond or lake on Earth.”
Opportunity was also well-known by the public for sending back detailed images from the distant planet. Here are some of those photos from over the years:
