The last message from Opportunity, the little Mars rover that could, was rather poetic: “My batteries are low, and it’s getting dark”¹. It was about to be enveloped in a sand storm, one bigger than any previously seen on Mars. 248 days later, after failing to re-establish communications with the rover, NASA has declared Opportunity’s mission to be over. Its final resting place is Perseverance Valley on Mars.

Opportunity landed on Mars on January 25th, 2004, three weeks after its sister rover, Spirit. Originally designed to travel no more than 1000 meters over 90 days, it far exceeded any expectations. It lasted 5352 Mars days², eventually racking up over 45km in 14 years³ of service⁴. During that time, it found evidence that Mars once had liquid water on the surface, analyzed over 52 rocks, surveyed several craters up close, and shot over 217.000 images (The Verge has collected some of them).

To give you a sense of scale of just how far Opportunity travelled, the New York Times has an interactive map that shows its entire route on Mars, including mission highlights. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab has also created a video commemorating its mission (YouTube).

Meanwhile, activity on Mars is continuing. The Curiosity rover is still roaming and exploring Gale crater since its landing 6 years ago. In November, the InSight lander touched down, and has only begun its scientific investigations. And next year two more, ESA’s ExoMars rover, and NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, are scheduled to launch, both aimed at proving that Mars once harbored life.

The Not-So-Dark Side of the Moon

A bit closer to home, a Chinese satellite has captured stunning backside image of the Moon, with a tiny Earth in the background.

Three Strikes and You’re Off the Internet

Now that both article 11 and 13 are up for voting in the European parliament, Google has previewed how Google News might look once article 11 goes into effect, and even saying that it might just shut down Google News in Europe altogether. That move might not matter much to the media giants⁵, but a lot of smaller publications are relying on the reach that Google News provided, and would be hurt the most.

YouTubers, meanwhile, have been battling with extortionists that threat to shut down channels by submitting spurious copyright claims unless the creators pay up. While not directly related to article 13, it is yet another demonstration of how broken the copyright system and the way companies deal with it has become, which aren’t helped by YouTube’s seeming indifference to what’s happening on their own platform. Considering companies have used copyright claims to e.g. prevent comedians from mocking them, it doesn’t bode well for the future of the internet in the EU.

Decision Friday

Last Friday was an interesting one for gamers and game publishers alike: Not one, not two, not even three, but five big game releases happened on the same day, each representing a current trend in gaming. Polygon’s Chris Plante looks at the five games and their potential impacts on the future of games, ultimately noting something that Netflix has also previously stated: it’s no longer just about sales — it’s also about where gamers decide to spend their time.

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(XKCD 2111: Opportunity Rover)