Onward, Spirit and Opportunity!
The touching legacy of two indefatigable robots
I am in love with two robots.
Recently, I watched an engrossing new documentary entitled Goodnight, Oppy. Watching the film, I learned about a NASA mission, begun in 2003 that ended just a few years ago in 2018.
The heroes of the story were two remarkable robots named Spirit and Opportunity (aka Oppy).
The “sister” robots were sent on a perilous journey to Mars nearly twenty years ago. Once there, their mission was to roam the harsh surface of the red planet, gathering data, and reporting back daily on their discoveries.
Spirit and Opportunity were only expected to carry on their challenging work for approximately 90 days. After that time it was widely believed by the team of scientists and engineers who had created and launched them that their reliability and vital functions would break down.
Instead the feisty robots went on and on, facing horrific conditions and challenges month after month, and year after year, faithfully sending back new and astonishing data to their partners on Earth.
And their partners, the team of scientists and engineers at NASA, truly came not just to respect, but to deeply and emotionally connect with Spirit and Opportunity.
