Submitted via IRC for Bytram
It's been exactly one year since Opportunity sent this final message home
It's been exactly one year since Opportunity sent this final message home—on its 5,111th Martian day
Opportunity's final message home is not much to look at on its own. If you're old enough to remember film cameras, it looks like the final exposure on a roll of film, developed but partly missing. It's a suitable epitaph for Opportunity's mission.
Opportunity captured this image with the left half of its PanCam, or Panoramic Camera. The rover had the solar filter on the camera at the time, which is why the image is so dark. The bottom is cut off because it was unable to transmit the entire image before losing power.
It bears similarity to Opportunity's first image from Mars, also taken with the left Panoramic Camera.
The image was captured on the 5,111th Martian Sol, in the Perseverance Valley. It was captured at about 9:30 a.m. PDT (12:30 p.m. EDT) on June 10, 2018, one year ago today. It transmitted the image up to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at about 9:45, then on to Earth. It arrived here at about 10:05 a.m. PDT (1:05 p.m. EDT), where it was received by one of the stations in NASA's Deep Space Network.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 13 2019, @04:23AM
Dogs are better than humans. So are some machines.
Rest in peace, my dear '84 accord hatchback.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 13 2019, @06:52AM
Opportunity was just saying, Repent! SoylentNews! Repent! More science, less right wing nutjob racist dog-whistles! That is Opportunities last request from the planet Mars. Respect it, Soylent Eds, or face the consequences!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 13 2019, @12:42PM
What is with the repeating link back to the title.
Then the first para begins by repeating back to the title.
Then later para paraphrases this title repeat back.
Most difficult to read article today.
(Score: 2) by dast on Thursday June 13 2019, @03:59PM
We'll be back soon.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday June 13 2019, @04:38PM (1 child)
It's been a year here, maybe.
Having spent so much longer there than here, it's more appropriate to celebrate Opportunity's milestones in Mars years.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 13 2019, @10:49PM
It's not mutually exclusive. This way we get twice as much cake. [indra-burkart.de]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday June 14 2019, @12:39AM
Opportunity:
https://xkcd.com/1504/ [xkcd.com]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"