A decade after landing on Mars, the rover Opportunity is still chugging along. Sure, it has some wear and tear. One of its six wheels and two instruments stopped working long ago. It has an arthritic joint. Its flash memory occasionally suffers a senior moment. But these problems are considered minor for a journey that was supposed to be just a three-month adventure. "No one ever expected this - that after 10 years a Mars exploration rover would continue to operate and operate productively," project manager John Callas said. The...
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