NASA’s Opportunity rover spent nearly 15 years exploring Mars, rewriting expectations for robotic space missions and uncovering evidence that the Red Planet may once have supported microbial life.

The rover, formally described as Spirit, MER, Mars Exploration Rover, kept working on Mars for years, long after its initial warranty had expired. That longevity forced the team to rethink what a ...

History isn’t always loud or obvious. Sometimes it’s a newspaper hitting a doorstep, a law quietly signed, a spacecraft ...

Two years ago, the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, touched down in Gusev Crater. The rover marked its first Mars-year (687 Earth Days) anniversary in November 2005. Shortly before its martian ...

It was a “big deal” for NASA when two so-called Rovers landed safely on Mars. “Spirit” was supposed to be good for just three months and a few hundred yards, but it lasted for 6 years and traveled ...

NASA scientists aren't the only ones roving Mars. At the Challenger Learning Center, Midlands students can also take a look at the red planet. When students enter the center they become NASA’s newest ...

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and has a distinct rusty red appearance and two unusual moons. The Red Planet is a ...

USC engineering students were part of the team that developed and trained the robot. (Teo Gonzales / Daily Trojan file photo) In April 2009, a NASA rover was exploring the surface of Mars when it rode ...