Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking. Login or Take a Tour!
user-inactivated · 2354 days ago · link · · parent · post: Mars rover Opportunity goes dormant amid huge dust storm
Ill have to find where I read it, but the researchers believe curiosity has a good chance of weathering the storm. Still, I'd consider getting 14 years out of a planned 90-day mission a pretty damn good run. The crazy thing is that, while highly unlikely, Opportunity could possibly outlive Curiosity since Curiosity has no way of replenishing its battery once the RTG decays (12-15 years). Even after 14 years Opportunity still manages to get an 80% charge on its batteries, so assuming it can survive the storm, I suspect we may have boots-on-the-ground before either rover bites the dust.