SOURCE: BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47231247

Two robot rovers, Opportunity, (aka “Oppy”), and Spirit, took a long trip to Mars, arriving in January 2004. They had a big job to do.

Find out whether Mars had properties conducive to supporting life.

Spirit succumbed to the rigors of Martian life first, but put in six year, driving a distance of 8 kilometers.

Oppy kept on trucking – for nearly 15 years – setting a record for any wheeled off-planet vehicle.

Then Oppy went silent. The last time Oppy phoned home was in June 2018 right before it disappeared into a black-out dust storm that covered the massive planet.

Oppy’s engineers held out hope it would power back up once the dust cleared and its solar panels were warmed by sunlight again.

But, alas, Oppy has not made a peep.

NASA, admittedly with sadness, even if it is a machine, has declared Oppy’s mission – if not complete…over.

Over a thousand recovery demands were sent to Oppy. “It is time to say goodbye,” said project manager John Callas to BBC.