Former President Barack Obama has sent a message to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) over the unexpected loss of Opportunity Rover, which has been on a mission on Mars for 14-years, and was suddenly lost due to the harsh condition on Mars,as he asked the Space Agency not to feel bad about the unfortunate event, but to be proud.
Barack Obama taking to his social media page, put up this post to encourage the NASA team. He said:
Don’t be sad it’s over, be proud it taught us so much. Congrats to all the men and women of @NASA on a Mars rover mission that beat all expectations inspired a new generation of Americans, and demands we keep investing in science that pushes the boundaries of human knowledge.
NASA on their part had earlier announced the lost of Opportunity Rover on Mars, after they lost contact with them, with the rover which had been exploring the planet’s surface since 2004.
Opportunity Rover which was a solar-powered rover got trapped in a massive dust storm, which blotted out the sun, its source of energy. And after the storm cleared, Opportunity affectionately called “Oppy” didn’t “wake” back up, which made NASA declared it lost.
NASA statement reads:
“It’s so hard to say goodbye!
Designed to last just 90 Martian days and travel 1,100 yards, our Mars Opportunity rover explored the surface of the Red Planet and broke records during its 15-year mission. It vastly surpassed all expectations in its endurance, scientific value and longevity. In addition to exceeding its life expectancy by 60 times, the rover traveled more than 28 miles by the time it reached its most appropriate final resting spot on Mars – Perseverance Valley.
Today, we bid farewell to the rover that stopped communicating with Earth when a severe Mars-wide dust storm blanketed its location in June 2018.
In this image from 2010, Opportunity used its navigation camera for this northward view of tracks the rover left on a drive from one energy-favorable position on a sand ripple to another. The tracks that Opportunity left on the Martian soil will pave the way for future robotic and human exploration of the Red Planet.“