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The rover Opportunity, which has been on Mars since 2004
NASA has changed its mind about how long it will continue to search for contact with an old robotic vehicle covered with a dust storm on Mars in June that has been stuck since.
Now, the space agency plans to continue to try rather than abandon its efforts sometime this month, as announced officials late August.
"After a review of the progress of the listening campaign, NASA will continue its current strategy to try to make contact with the rover Opportunity in the near future," said Monday a statement posted on the NASA website.
"Winds could increase in the next few months at the Opportunity site on Mars, which would drive off the dust from the rover's solar panels.The agency will re-evaluate the situation as of January 2019."
Engineers hope the solar-powered rover will have enough sunlight to automatically launch its own recovery procedures.
His last contact with the Earth took place on June 10th.
Opportunity and its twin rover, Spirit, are a pair of unmanned robotic vehicles designed by NASA to travel short distances over the Martian surface and transmit data on conditions on Earth.
They landed on Mars in 2003 for a mission that was to last 90 days and cover 1,000 meters.
The mind lasted 20 times longer than that. He got stuck in loose soil in 2009 and his mission was officially declared in 2011.
The opportunity is 60 times longer than the duration of its mission, has traveled 45 km and has highlighted traces of water on Mars and conditions that could have helped maintain microbial life.
Mobile fans mounted a Twitter campaign under the hash tag #SaveOppy, calling on NASA to continue trying to reach it.
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