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Mars Rovers Get Extra 18 Months

Posted by timothy on from the unhappy-parole-board dept.

iamlucky13 writes "NASA has stated in the latest mission press release that funding for an additional 18 months of exploration has been approved. The rovers have breezed through 14 months of operation so far, and the money will cover expenses through September of 2006. The rovers are still operating well, and recently both experienced dramatic power boosts from their solar cells. They are no longer like new, however. Opportunity has recently experienced data loss from one of its spectrometers, while Spirit has a smudged camera lens, a heavily used rock abrasion tool, and has previously struggled with intermittent steering issues."

4 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. Good value... by PornMaster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Incremental costs of running them must be a bargain. Great to see how well these things were made.

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  2. Really nice new by MaDeR · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I like both rovers. :) But I think they get more funding because of "to moon, _mars_ and beyond" thing. If NASA want to fulfill this goal, then must gather as much information as possible about Mars. I like idea of human presence on Moon and Mars, but not for price of cutting other succesful projects like Voyager.

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  3. Re:Well.. by mboverload · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Only because it holds the public's interest.

    Pathetic.

    Steve: "Oh, hey bob, no one cares about voyager anymore, so lets just scrap it!"
    Bob: But it will be the first man made object ever to be in interstellar space! It will be the first transmission from out of our solar system!
    Steve: Will there be any pictures?
    Bob: Thats not the point
    Steve: But what are we supposed to show on TV?
    Bob: ........
    Steve: For motherland Russia!
    Bob: WTF? I thought this was NASA?
    Steve: err..um..I mean, bring me that beer and hamburger! Time for Monday Night Football!

  4. Re:Well, it's difficult to answer that by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Voyager is only useless if you don't care about finding out what it the extra "pull" the probes are experiencing is real or not. You know, the dark matter thing?

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