NASA pulls plug on Opportunity’s 14-year mission to Mars

NASA’s veteran Opportunity rover has analysed its last soil sample.

NASA’s calls have repeatedly failed to make contact with the Opportunity rover. Picture: AFP

During 14 years of exploration across Mars it advanced human knowledge by confirming that water once flowed on the red planet, but NASA’s Opportunity rover has analysed its last soil sample.

The robot has been missing since the US space agency lost contact during a dust storm last June, and it was declared ­officially dead yesterday.

Unable to recharge its batteries, Opportunity left hundreds of messages from Earth unanswered over the months, and NASA said it made its last attempt at contact on Tuesday evening, US time.

“I declare the Opportunity mission as complete,” NASA science mission directorate associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen said at mission headquarters in Pasadena, California.

Researchers and engineers ­involved in the program were in mourning over the rover, known affectionately as Oppy.

“Spent the evening at JPL as the last ever commands were sent to the Opportunity rover on #Mars,” Arizona State University director of Martian research Tanya Harrison tweeted after a stint at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“There was silence, tears and hugs. There were memories and laughs.

“#ThankYouOppy #GoodnightOppy,” she wrote.

AFP