One year after landing, Mars probes continue work

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2005

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A year after landing on Mars, US robots Spirit and Opportunity remain in good working shape, although their initial three-month mission ended a long time ago, the US space agency said.

Spirit landed on the Red Planet on January 3, 2004, followed by Opportunity three weeks later.

"The unanticipated longevity is allowing both rovers to reach additional destinations and to keep making discoveries," The Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement.

"The rovers are both in amazingly good shape for their age," said JPL's Jim Erickson, a rover project manager. "The twins sailed through the worst of the Martian winter with flying colors, and spring is coming. Both rovers are in strong positions...