The Opportunity rover may be dead, but it’s mission continues. It will stand alone now, silent on that far away world, inspiring humanity to reach further. A monument to human ingenuity, who’s tales will be told for many years to come. We have learned so much about our neighboring world, and about our own. There will be other rovers, and with each a new opportunity to inspire us, but we’ll never forget all that we learned from it’s 15 year mission.
Opportunity answered so many of our questions, and asked even more…namely why we are all crying about a piece of technology on another world. It’s because that rover was verily us, our best hopes, our dreams about a brighter tomorrow.
I hope to live to see a day when Opportunity is in the first museum on Mars.
And when man finally reaches beyond our Earth and sets foot on the red planet, Opportunity will be the shining call to extend that reach. Children living in the colonies that will surely come will visit Opportunity, and wonder. Their eyes aglow with curiosity, they’ll set their minds to destinations further out still. The images Opportunity gave us, and the knowledge will light the way into our destiny as a race.
When I was a lad I would stare at the few pictures of Mars we had then, and dream of what it would be like to stand on another world. The children of our future, here on Earth, and then those of Mars will find the same inspiration in the gifts that that little rover gave us; the inspiration to explore, and hope for an ever better future as we set our minds to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and experience to the final frontier…
We love you, little rover. Thanks for going ahead for us to explore our neighborhood.