And thus, on the rim of a deep crater a very long way from home, the story ended.
This image, released by NASA, shows the 45 kilometre journey taken by the Mars rover Opportunity, from its start-point near Eagle Crater to the point in Perseverance Valley, right on the edge of the enormous Endeavour Crater, when after sending one last message to its engineer care-givers on Earth, it fell forever silent.
The end came when it was engulfed in a giant sandstorm in June 2018, while it was in the process of moving slowly into the crater. In February 2019, unable to raise the dormant machine, NASA declared Opportunity dead, and its 15 year mission over.
Originally published by Cosmos as The end of the trail
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