WASHINGTON—During 14 years of intrepid exploration across Mars, it advanced human knowledge by confirming that water once flowed on the red planet, but Nasa’s Opportunity rover has analyzed its last soil sample. ADVERTISEMENTUnable 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. “I declare the Opportunity mission as complete,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate, told a news conference at mission headquarters in Pasadena, California. “Godspeed, Opportunity,” tweeted Keri Bean, who had the “privilege” of sending the final message to the robot. “It is because of trailblazing missions such as Opportunity that there will come a day when our brave astronauts walk on the surface of Mars,” Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 14, 2019 21:33 UTC