Spirit

2011.05.24 in thoughts

Tomorrow marks the last day NASA will try to get ahold of Spirit, the eldest of the pair of Mars Exploration Rovers.

Dad and I listened to the landings way back when I was just one semester through high school; Spirit's end-of-life is just days before I'm due to graduate from college. The discoveries of both Spirit and Opportunity have provided Martian wonders to observe and ponder throughout the last seven years: dust devils, panoramic landscapes, portraits (both self- and otherwise), meteorites, and many more.

It's hard not to anthropomorphize Spirit and Opportunity, as they've been such good friends for so long. Randall, as usual, does it best. Still, when they landed, we were promised 90 sols. Ninety. Spirit's official death will be after 2,628 sols... I'd say that's a life to be proud of.