Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 27

In that moment, the team was forced to accept the inevitable. They were forced to say goodbye.

THE TREK: M A P: N ASA / JPL- CA LTECH / MSSS; G LOBE: N ASA / COR NELL / SSI / STSCI / AUR A;
INSE TS: E AG LE, ENDUR A NCE, A ND VICTORIA: N ASA / JPL- CA LTECH / COR NELL (3), SA N TA M A RIA:
N ASA / JPL- CA LTECH / COR NELL / ASU, M A R ATHON VA LLE Y: N ASA / JPL- CA LTECH; BACKG ROUND
M A RS TERR AIN TE X T URE: N ASA / JPL- CA LTECH / UNIV. OF A RIZON A

More than Machine
For those who see space-faring robots as gadgets of scientific
discovery and nothing more, it may sound strange that so
many considered the rover something analogous to a friend.
Even the most calculated scientists tend to anthropomorphize
Opportunity - better known as "Oppy" - and her twin,
Spirit. And it's easy to see why from merely a design standpoint: They were each about five feet tall and outfitted with
a robotic arm and a neck topped with two eye-like science
cameras, all eerily sentient-looking.
But Callas notes that not only did the rovers appear
human, they had human-like qualities. "They were intrepid,
they were dutiful, they were accomplished," he says. "Sometimes they were recalcitrant. Sometimes they were funny.
They were loyal. How could you not fall in love with them?"
And fall in love many of us did. Not only did the final
command leave the rover team wistful, but it also inspired an
outpouring of affection from much of the world. Opportunity trended on Twitter for days as scientists and non-scientists alike shared stories of the rover's impact on them. Even
former President Barack Obama posted a photo of the rover's
tracks to Instagram and congratulated the team.
But for many, it was
the days after the final
Eagle
Crater

"Sometimes they were recalcitrant.
Sometimes they were funny. They were
loyal. How could you not fall in love with
them?" -JOHN CALLAS
command that were harder. For more than a decade, the dayto-day lives of these scientists had revolved around Opportunity. Every morning they would check the status of the
vehicle, plan rover operations, and prepare the commands.
"You really do start to feel a connection to something that's
more than just a machine when you spend 15 years of your
life making sure Opportunity is healthy, making sure her
power is okay, making sure all the commands you're sending
are good," Fraeman says.
Now, the team's daily activities have shifted. "We come
into work now and it's like, 'What do we do?'" Callas says.
"It's dramatic change."
Seibert, who had a head start on mourning because he left
in 2017, points out that the new daily routine likely won't
include the adrenaline rush that often came with working
on the rovers. "You don't have that little dopamine hit you
get when every image comes down and shows whatever you

Endurance
Crater

Victoria Crater

Santa Maria Crater

Marathon
Valley

Endeavour
Crater
Perseverance
Valley

5 km
Marathon Valley

sk yandtele scope.com * S E P TE M B E R 2 019

27


http://www.skyandtelescope.com

Sky & Telescope - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - September 2019

Contents
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 1
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 3
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 4
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 5
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 6
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 7
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 8
Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 9
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Sky & Telescope - September 2019 - 11
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