Here's what the NASA opportunity robot saw before getting out of its lights

A series of recently released photos show what NASA's engine manufacturer Opportunity was looking for just before the deadly dust storm.

This storm erupted in May 2018 and engulfed Opportunity shortly thereafter. The robot powered by solar energy could not get enough sunlight to recharge its batteries. It died on June 10th. NASA tried to revive the old Oppy, but was unlucky, finally declaring the rover dead last month.

When the sky darkened around the sky last spring, Opportunity took many pictures of its surroundings – Perseverance Valley, at the edge of Endeavor Crater 22 km (22 km) – with the help of his camera panoramic.

Related: Postcards from Mars: Amazing Photos by Opportunity and Mind

Members of the mission team have now assembled 354 of these images, taken from May 13 to June 10, in a magnificent panorama of the last resting place of the rover.

"This final panorama embodies what made our Rover Opportunity such a remarkable exploration and discovery mission," said John Callas, Opportunity Project Manager, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. California, in a statement Tuesday, March 12.

"To the right of the center, you can see the edge of the Endeavor Crater uplift off," he added. "Just to the left of this, the rovers tracks begin their descent over the horizon and pave their way to geological features that our scientists wanted to take a closer look at." And on the far right and at left is the bottom of Perseverance Valley and the endeavor Crater floor, virgin and unexplored, awaits the visits of future explorers. "

Some images from the panorama remain in black and white, as the dust storm swept before Opportunity could image these areas using all of its color filters, NASA officials said.

The panorama is very large and zoomable; you can get the full effect via the mission team here.

Also on Tuesday, the mission team released the latest photos taken by Opportunity: two blurry, black-and-white miniatures of June 10 showing a tiny sun in a dark, dusty sky.

About 3 minutes earlier, Oppy had taken another picture of the dark sky, this image even more noisy than the two thumbnails. But Opportunity sent home this super-specific shot after sending both thumbnails; Indeed, the noisy photo was the last data ever transmitted to Opportunity, said NASA officials. As indicated by the black bar at the bottom of the frame, the mobile became dark before being able to send the entire picture (and before being able to send the full frame versions of both thumbnails).

Opportunity and her twin, Spirit, landed a few weeks apart in January 2004. Together, the two robots began hunting for signs of water activity within 90 days. They found plenty of evidence of this type, confirming that the red planet was much more humid and potentially habitable in the past.

Spirit and Opportunity both far exceeded their guarantees. Spirit was not declared dead until 2011, and Opportunity was still thriving before the dust storm. No vehicle, whether it is equipped or robotic, has ever traveled further to the surface of another world than Opportunity, whose meter is frozen forever at 45.16 kilometers.

And it took a storm to knock out Oppy; the maelstrom eventually grew to encircle the entire planet.

Mike Wall's book on the search for extraterrestrial life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018, illustrated by Karl Tate), has just been published. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on twitter@Spacedotcom or Facebook.