NASA has just released a final panorama of the rover Opportunity Mars

Last June, space exploration enthusiasts around the world held their breath as a global dust storm enveloped Mars. They did it not because our vision of the surface of the red planet was obscured, but because a rover the size of a karting called Opportunity, who wandered on the red planet for nearly 15 years, remained silent as the storm intensified. After eight months of unsuccessful attempts to resurrect "Oppy," which was only scheduled for a 90-day mission on February 13, NASA scientists finally declared "Mission Complete."

However, although Opportunity now rests forever in peace, just before the impact of the Martian storm, the tenacious rover has managed to capture one last panorama of the red planet – and it is glorious.

The 360-degree panoramic panorama above – consisting of 354 individual shots captured by Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) between May 13 and June 10, 2018 – shows a host of fascinating features near a site called Perseverance Valley. Located on the western edge of Endeavor Crater, this valley extends for approximately 182 meters (600 feet) and contains numerous shallow channels descending from the edge of the crater at the bottom. You can explore a higher resolution (and zoomable) version of the giant panorama on the NASA website.

"This final panorama embodies what made our Opportunity rover such a remarkable mission of exploration and discovery," said John Callas, Opportunity project manager, in a press release.

"To the right of the center, you can see the edge of Endeavor Crater rise up," he said. "Just to the left of this, rovers tracks begin their descent beyond the horizon and pave their way to geological features that our scientists wanted to examine closely. And to the far right and left are the bottom of the Perseverance Valley and the floor of Endeavor's crater, virgin and unexplored, awaiting visits from future explorers. "

For the vast majority of the panorama, Opportunity used three filters to capture color images. But at the bottom left, you may notice that some images are still black and white. This is the result of the storm that finally put Opportunity out of service last year. When the storm swept the surface, the solar panels that power Opportunity were covered with dust. This means that the rover did not have enough juice to capture his last images using Pancam's green and purple filters.

Although Opportunity is clearly not a living creature, its official disappearance last month caused waves of sadness that resonated in the astronomical community. However, according to Tanya Harrison, director of research for the ASU NewSpace initiative and collaborator on the MER (Exploration Rover Mars) research team, her tireless efforts to explore the red planet will not be forgotten. anytime soon.

"If I had the chance to say a last goodbye to Oppy, I would thank her for her tireless service, beyond all possible expectations. There is probably no better way for her to leave than in the biggest dust storm we've ever seen on Mars – for her, I would not expect anything less. Now she can rest, under a thin layer of dust, knowing that she has made humanity proud. "