Spirit and Opportunity News and Features

A sweeping landscape gives way to hills on the colorized horizon in this artistic Mars composite image.

UPDATED: 10 Things for Mars 10

4 min read

Scientists from around the world are gathering this week in California to take stock of the state of science from Mars and discuss goals for the next steps in exploration of the Red Planet. In the spirit of Mars 10,…

Article3 months ago

20 Years After Landing: How NASA’s Twin Rovers Changed Mars Science

5 min read

This month marks the 20th anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity’s landing on Mars, part of a mission whose legacy will extend far into the future. In January 2004, twin NASA rovers named Spirit and Opportunity touched down on opposite sides…

Article10 months ago
This scene from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks back toward part of the west rim of Endeavour Crater that the rover drove along, heading southward, during the summer of 2014.

Six Things to Know About NASA’s Opportunity Rover

5 min read

Opportunity's mission is complete. Here are highlights from its time on Mars.

Article6 years ago
Opportunity Catches its Shadow

NASA’s Opportunity Rover Mission on Mars Comes to End

7 min read

NASA's Opportunity Mars rover mission is complete after 15 years on Mars. Opportunity's record-breaking exploration laid the groundwork for future missions to the Red Planet.

Article6 years ago

“Storm Chasers” on Mars Searching for Dusty Secrets

8 min read

Storm chasing takes luck and patience on Earth — and even more so on Mars. For scientists watching the Red Planet from NASA’s orbiters, the past month has been a windfall. “Global” dust storms, where a runaway series of storms…

Article6 years ago
Animated GIF of dust thickening in the skies of Mars.

10 Things: Massive Dust Storm on Mars

4 min read

Massive Martian dust storms have been challenging—and enticing—scientists for decades. Here’s the scoop on Martian dust.

Article6 years ago
Close up of Jupiter's swirling clouds.

Where to Find Mission Raw Images

1 min read

Several solar system exploration missions routinely publish raw, unprocessed images taken by cameras aboard robotic spacecraft. Unlike most pictures that appear on NASA web sites, these images are not validated or calibrated, and often lack captions and other information to…

Article7 years ago

NASA Celebrates Decade of Mars Exploration by Spirit, Opportunity

6 min read

Androids rolling along distant planets were once only the stuff of science fiction. However, in recent years, mechanized trailblazers have become NASA’s precursors to human explorers. Among the most successful have been the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs), known as…

Article11 years ago