5 years in Mars

NASA's 6-planet Mars self-propelled self-propelled survey device still works well after 5 years of landing on the red planet.

The famous Spirit self-propelled robot was dropped on Mars in an air bag and went out to operate from 3.1.2004. Spirit landed on the red planet after a 21-day Opportunity device. Both are expected, by solar energy, to operate for at least 3 weeks to spy on the planet. But five years have passed, two self-propelled robots have traveled more than 13 miles on the dusty surface of Mars, recording more than 250,000 photos sent to Earth. The new discoveries show that the evidence of a time when Mars was quite humid and warm, not cold, dusty today.

Roofing solar cells provide power for self-propelled robots to operate. Dust is a high risk if it accumulates in these roofing sheets, but sometimes the wind helps to blow away the dust. Spirit once had to stop working in the southern hemisphere in winter because of the above cause. After a period of silence, Spirit has been active again. The Opportunity device, after being blown clean by the wind, is moving to a 14-mile-diameter crater to survey the strange rock.