[X] My Assistant

[ustrax]

HAPPY SOL 500 SPIRIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And thank you very very much for your amazing saga!

[CosmicRocker]

Amen to that, ustrax. It's really incredible.

The other day I was thinking about how important the daily downloads from the rovers have become to me. My wife asked me what I will do when the rovers die. I almost gasped at the thought. I realized that after following the rovers daily for the last year and a half, I had almost come to expect them to continue indefinitely.

Of course, that's not going to happen. But they CAN make 1000 sols, can't they?

[raketmensch]

The other day I was thinking about how important the daily downloads from the rovers have become to me.  My wife asked me what I will do when the rovers die.  I almost gasped at the thought.  I realized that after following the rovers daily for the last year and a half, I had almost come to expect them to continue indefinitely.

Of course, that's not going to happen.  But they CAN make 1000 sols, can't they?   

Alas, the reality is that they could die today, tomorrow, at any time. Motors that had specs of 2.5M revs and that were tested pre-launch to 10M revs under martian conditions are now past 15M revs on the martian surface. Electronic compents with specs of 90 thermal cycles and tested to 270 thermal cycles are now at 500. The real martian dust storm season, which the rovers have not yet experienced, is just beginning now. These things, and many more. could end the mission tomorrow.

So I'm not expecting 1000 sols. But then, I wasn't expecting 180 sols at Sol 90, and I wasn't expecting 500 sols at Sol 250. So you never know. At this point, I just look at every sol as a blessing, and I take the whole thing for what it is... a grand adventure.

So here's to 500 sols... and let's hope Sol 501 is a good one...