Some Light Relief—Making an Exception for You

In June 2003, NASA launched two robot geologist missions to Mars. After a space voyage of six months, the Spirit Rover was the first to arrive safely and start its exploration, looking for signs of water and other geological features. For two and a half weeks on the surface, Spirit sent a series of stunning pictures. Suddenly and inexplicably, it dropped contact with mission control.

The team back at California's Jet Propulsion Lab who designed and built the rovers were mystified and despondent. The Spirit mission manager, Jennifer Trosper, talked to her husband on the phone. “I asked him first how his day was. He said it was okay. And then he asked me how my day was going,” recalled Trosper. ...

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