[SlowBoat407]

TO get to the other side only to have Nasa say it's mission was over, so please die an ignoble death and sit for eternity in a desert after enduring months of dust storms and sub-zero temperatures.

Both rovers have far outlived their expectations and are (and are recognized as) a tribute to the engineers who designed and assembled them.

Like the Viking landers before them, they were designed for a limited life, and like the Vikings, they smashed all expectations.

How long were they supposed to keep going?

[Spktyr]

IIRC, their original design lifespan was 90 days.

[theDentist]

I’m just poking fun. They were to last maybe 2 to 3 months (IIRC), and have in fact far exceeded expectations.