Fact Sheet
Still Going
Spirit, the first of two Mars Exploration Rovers to touch down on the Red Planet, celebrates its first anniversary on Mars on January 3. The rover is climbing a small hill, and scientists hope it will continue to operate long enough to climb back down and circle to the other side of the hills, which are named for the astronauts who died aboard space shuttle Columbia. Spirit and its twin, Opportunity, were designed to work for 90 Mars days (92 Earth days), but have now quadrupled that planned lifetime. [Credit: NASA/JPL]
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