NASA’s Mars Opportunity rover traversed the red planet for more than a decade. Its photography—simultaneously detailed and panoramic—made a hostile environment seem almost familiar, revealing the nature of a neighbour to which both the agency and several billionaires want to send humans.
On Wednesday, after seven months during which NASA was unable to establish contact with the machine, its 15-year mission was declared complete.
The solar-powered craft’s last communication was received on June 10 as a massive dust storm was enveloHayabusa2 probe to land on asteroid on February 22nity since last summer, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent their final commands to the rover, hoping to spark a response.
Opportunity was one of two Mars Exploration Rovers (MERS) sent to the planet 16 years ago, arriving in January 2004. Its twin, Spirit, was lost in March 2010. Both of the 384-pound rovers were designed for 90-day service spans, with NASA reaping years of data from each beyond the original mission schedules.
Among its many scientific achievements, Opportunity found evidence in 2004 that salty water once flowed on the surface of Mars. It followed that early discovery with years of additional rock and sediment examinations across an array of landscapes.
Beyond the deeper geologic understanding of Mars’ history, the rovers “significantly improved our knowledge about how to navigate on other planets—something that will help future robotic and human exploration of Mars,” Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator, wrote in a blog post. The rovers’ photography and journeys also made the planet less foreign to both scientists and the public at large.
After the rover failed to respond on Tuesday, scientists at JPL’s California offices wept, according to Tanya Harrison, a former member of the Mars Exploration Rover team.
The program’s end was emotionally difficult for many at the facility, from which rover operations are conducted. “You develop a special bond. They become your children,” said John Callas, project manager for JPL’s rover program. “Even though it’s a machine and we’re saying goodbye, it’s very hard and very poignant.”
Some in the Martian exploration community criticised NASAfor its plan to rouse the rover. The initial 45-day plan was, according to detractors, too brief given the dust storm’s severity. Mars experiences regional dust storms each year, but only occasionally do they expand to engulf the entire planet. The last such major storm occurred in 2007, which sent NASA’s rovers into a “hunker down” mode for several weeks before the skies cleared.
“To have a 90-day mission last for 15 years, and then end as a consequence of one of the most ferocious dust storms to hit Mars in a very long time, we can walk away with our heads held high,” Steve Squyres, a Cornell professor and principal investigator on the mission, told Gizmodo. “The mission exceeded far beyond what I could have expected.”
NASA retains a presence on Mars. The larger, nuclear-powered Curiosity rover has been roaming the planet since August 2012. In November, a stationary robot called Mars InSight arrived to begin exploring the planet’s interior. The next large rover, Mars 2020, is scheduled to launch next summer. The 2,300-pound craft will also carry a drill to collect rock samples.
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THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The view from The National
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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