Dr. Tanya Harrison

From Marina Koren, The Atlantic:

The Mars probe came barreling in. It streaked through the planet’s atmosphere at about 12,000 miles per hour. With the surface in sight, its parachute unfurled. The probe fired its rockets to slow itself down, and inflated its airbags to cushion the landing. Touching down gently, it bounced across the clay-colored terrain.…

…As engineers prepared to transmit their final commands, through massive radio antennae positioned around the world, the mood at JPL was somber, according to Tanya Harrison, a scientist on the mission.

“The rover surpassed every single expectation we could’ve possibly had,” Harrison says. “But I’m not sure anything can fully prepare you for the wave of emotion of hearing a mission you work on is coming to an end.”

Read more: NASA Declares a Beloved Mars Mission Over (The Atlantic)

From Adam Gabbatt and Nicola Davis, The Guardian:

Nasa declared the 15-year mission of the veteran Mars rover Opportunity finally over on Wednesday, crediting the robot as having “transformed our understanding of our planet”.

The golf buggy-sized vehicle last made contact with Earth eight months ago, after being caught in a global dust storm.…

…The final attempt at communication with Opportunity on Tuesday night was, it seems, an emotional affair. Dr Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist who worked on the mission, tweeted: “There were tears. There were hugs. There were memories and laughs shared.

Read more: Nasa confirms Mars rover Opportunity is dead (The Guardian)