Two months after sky-darkening dust from severe storms nearly killed NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers, the solar powered robots are awake and ready to continue their missions.
Opportunity’s planned descent into the giant Victoria Crater was delayed by the storms, but now the rover is preparing to drive into the 800-meter-diameter crater as early as September 11.
Spirit also survived the global dust storms. On September 5, the robot climbed onto its long-term destination called Home Plate, a plateau of layered bedrock bearing clues to an explosive mixture of lava and water.
Both rovers are now 43 months into their missions originally planned to last three months.
Mars Exploration Rover Mission