Analysis: Exploration Of Mars

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There has long been interest in the exploration of Mars. More missions have been attempted to Mars than to any other place in solar system except the Moon, and half of the attempts failed. However, the early exploration attempts taught us many lessons that made subsequent missions more successful. Since 1995, Mars exploration has undergone a renaissance. NASA has successfully launched four orbiters and four landed missions. These missions provided data and images that changed our view of planet Mars. One of the more successful landed missions on Mars is the Mars Exploration Rover- Opportunity. Opportunity was launched in July 7, 2003 and landed on Mars on January 25, 2004.
Rover Opportunity is the part of the Mars Exploration Program, a science-driven program that tries to understand whether Mars was, is, or can be a habitable world. To find out the answers, we need to analyze geologic, climatic and other processes. We need to understand how these processes worked to shape Mars and how they work today. Rover Opportunity has four main goals: determine if life ever existed on Mars, characterize the climate, characterize the geology and prepare for human exploration of Mars. To follow important goal whether life ever existed on Mars, scientist have developed a strategy called “Follow the Water”. “Follow the Water” begins by analyzing the current environment on Mars. Rover opportunity is sent to different locations to explore the dry riverbeds, polar icecaps and certain rock types that only form is the presence of water. Rover Opportunity needs to find out if Mars once was a planet with oceans and habitable environment and what caused it to change into dry and dusty planet.
Opportunity has been exploring Mars since 2004. However, it ...

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...travelling and discovering Mars. According to the latest news from NASA, rover Opportunity used this added power to inspect “Murray Ridge”. “Murray Ridge” is located on the western rim of the Endeavor Crater; rover is analyzing soil and rocks to learn more about wet environments on ancient Mars.
No one exactly knows how long the Opportunity will last. It was expected to last only six months, but today after ten years it still successfully operates in the surface of Mars and despite a few problems the rover is in a really good health. Rover continues to discover the new and older geology of Mars and gives whole new information about the history of Mars. Despite a few problems including the fact that Opportunity got stuck in a sand dune for over a month, rover still operates. The rover Opportunity has exceeded expectations and continues to return exceptional data.

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