News Exercise #273

1. How long had the rover been expected to work for, and how long has it actually continued to function?
2. According to the reporter, what evidence has been found that water has existed on Mars, and how strong is this evidence?
3. What was the reporter’s final summary of Opportunity?

Answers:
How long had the rover been expected to work for, and how long has it actually continued to function?
The plan was three months, but instead it continued to rove for 14 and a half years.

According to the reporter, what evidence has been found that water has existed on Mars, and how strong is this evidence?
The evidence is “incontrovertible”. There are blue rocks indicating chemical reactions in what was once a lake. Also, there are rocks “made” (perhaps meaning “shaped”) by flowing water.

What was the reporter’s final summary of Opportunity?
“At NASA today there was sadness at the loss of a long-lived robot, but Opportunity was a triumph of engineering that has left its mark on the history of space exploration.