SCI/TECH: Mars Rover Mission Extended, page 1

NASA has stated that it will extend the Mars Rover mission by another 18 months. This comes after the rovers have already been up and running for 14 months, in which only 3 months of it was the original time frame of the mission. So far these rovers have operated well beyond expectations, with Opportunity rolling more then 8 times (3 miles) its expected distance. Overall these rovers have preformed above and beyond their expectations and have been given more time to continue their exploration of Mars and discovery of more untouched regions of Mars.

www.cnn.com
The durable twin rovers on Mars have gotten yet another lease on life, with NASA announcing Tuesday it would fund another 18 months of operations.

Spirit and Opportunity were originally designed for a three-month effort. Engineers knew all along that if nothing unexpected happened, they could last longer. But few expected them to be still roving after more than 14 months.

"The rovers have proven their value with major discoveries about ancient watery environments on Mars that might have harbored life," said Ghassem Asrar, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

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I think this is a good thing. If these rovers can still do their amazing research and discovery work, then there is no reason to stop funding of this mission. Also, now with these rovers still rolling around, NASA will be able to hopefully get even more information on the history of Mars. It is nice to see something working out so well for NASA after their last few attempts at Mars missions.

[edit on 4-7-2005 by Sarcasimo]