Wednesday, January 25, 2017
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Born on this day
1759 - Scottish poet Robert Burns is born.
Australian History
1885 - One of Australia's earliest rail disasters occurs at Cootamundra in New South Wales.
1974 - The devastating 1974 Brisbane floods begin.
World History
33 - Today commemorates the conversion of St Paul from persecutor of Christians to apostle of Christ.
1924 - The first Winter Olympics open.
2004 - NASA's Exploration Rover 'Opportunity' lands on Mars.
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission began in 2003. The mission involves two automated rovers, or robotic exploration vehicles, the 'Spirit' and the 'Opportunity', which have explored the surface and geology of Mars, and sent data back to Earth.
The main purpose of the mission has been to analyse the geology of Mars to determine the nature of any water activity in the past on the planet. In addition, the rovers have obtained astronomical observations and collected atmospheric data.
The Mars Exploration Rover Mission was preceded by the Mars Pathfinder mission, which landed the rover 'Sojourner' on Mars in July 1997, and the two Viking landers in 1976.
MER-B (Mars Exploration Rover-B) 'Opportunity' was launched on 7 July 2003 and landed on Mars on 25 January 2004.
Although largely successful, the rover programme has experienced some setbacks. Martian dust storms have prevented sunlight from reaching the solar panels which power the rovers, rendering them temporarily disabled. In 2009, the 'Spirit' had to be redeployed as a stationary science platform after becoming stuck in the soft soil of Mars, but it ceased communications in 2010.
For two months in 2005, the 'Opportunity' was stuck in soft sand, but analysis of its movements and simulation of the conditions by Mission scientists resulted in its successful release from the sand dune dubbed "Purgatory Dune".
As of November 2011, the 'Opportunity' was still functioning, and had driven more than 34 kilometres during its mission.