NASA’s Opportunity rover braves huge dust storm on Mars as scientists keep watch

The hardest working rover on Mars is fighting for its robotic life on the red planet. 

NASA announced on Friday that the Opportunity rover is currently being hit by the worst dust storm it’s ever experienced in the 15 years since it landed on Mars. 

“A dark, perpetual night has settled over the rover’s location in Mars’ Perseverance Valley,” NASA said in a statement. 

Scientists are worried the rover won’t survive this storm, but there’s still hope. 

On Sunday, Opportunity phoned home, sending a transmission to engineers back on Earth. This means the rover had enough power to send a message despite the fact that the sun was blotted out by dust, preventing a full charge to its solar panels. Read more…

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