[cripplecreek]

And going....and going...and going....

[NormsRevenge]

This handout photo provided by NASA, taken by the Mars exploration rover Spirit, shows this 360-degree panorama of images taken with its navigation camera Friday, Oct. 7, 2005, of its exploration of Gusev Crater on Mars. This view is presented in a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction. In this photo Spirit looks back at the long and winding trail of twin wheel tracks the rover created to get to the top of 'Husband Hill.' Spirit spent several days in October 2005 at this location, perched on a lofty, rock-strewn incline next to a precarious outcrop nicknamed 'Hillary.' To the west are the slopes of the 'Columbia Hills,' so named for the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Beyond the hills are the flat plains and rim of Gusev Crater. (AP Photo/ NASA, JPL, CalTech)

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Amazing longevity for these two craft. Wait till they get the one up there with a power pack that is supposed to last for years.LOL!

[PeteB570]

Way to go Rovers.

Hang in there and keep sending those pictures.

And they said you were only good for how long?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Mars rover Spirit begins climb down from summit (of Husband Hill) :

[RightWhale]

Two years and still running. New experiments are having to be devised to get the maximum benefit out of this bonanza of data.

[Izzy Dunne]

landed on opposite ends of the Red Planet

Somebody 'splain to me how a (roughly) spherical planet has "ends"...

[djf]

It is certainly worth mentioning on this thread that Mars right now is in a close approach that rivals that of a few years ago.

For the next few weeks, she will be spectacularly bright, best to look towards the east about 11 pm.

[Thinkin' Gal]

It will take about two months for Spirit to completely climb down Husband Hill, which is part of the Columbia Hills range in the Gusev crater region. Husband Hill is named after Rick Husband, the astronaut commander of the space shuttle Columbia that disintegrated as it attempted to return to Earth in 2003.

Cosmic Climbing and Timing

July 13, 2005

A poetic cosmic convergence is building to a crescendo: as the first space shuttle flight since the loss of the Shuttle Columbia prepares to fly 200 miles (320 kilometers) above the Earth, the Spirit rover is climbing the last 200 meters (656 feet) toward the summit of the "Columbia Hills" on Mars.

After two years of meticulous preparations for Return to Flight, the Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to fly, and after 19 months of dauntless determination, Spirit is nearing the top of "Husband Hill."

Named after Rick Husband, Commander of the Shuttle Columbia, "Husband Hill" is the tallest among seven hills, each named after the brave souls who flew on Columbia's last mission.

Rover driver Chris Leger remembers Principal Investigator Steve Squyres' enthusiasm about the "Columbia Hills" on Mars. When Spirit first landed in Gusev Crater, the hills were 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) away. Enamored with the expansive landscape, Leger recalls Squyres saying, "The real fun will come when we try to climb those mountains." Leger thought, "Yeah right - we don't even know if we can drive 200 meters (656 feet) - the "Columbia Hills" are just a dream!"

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/spirit/20050713.html

Columbia Hills named as memorial on Mars
Seven peaks near Spirit site honor seven astronauts

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4143223/

[R. Scott]

Just like the Energizer Bunny.