Twin Mars Exploration Rovers of NASA, Spirit and Opportunity, launched in the summer of 2003 and arrived in January 2004. Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH
Takeaway Keyway:
Following in the Wheelmarks of Sojourner (NASA’S FIRST MARS ROVER, WHICH LANDED ON MARS in 1997), Spirit Launched for Mars on June 10, 2003, and Opportunity Launched Less Than A Month Later, On July 7 would stretch Far Beyond The Planned 90-day Mission: Spirit was Active Until 2011, and Opportunities Finally Closed Its Eyes in 2018. Over the Course of the 28 Miles (45 kilometers) of Martian soil that covered the opportunity, the rover provided clear geological and mineral evidence of the past status of Mars as a world.
