14 DAY TRIAL // Curiosity is the star Mars rover, and rightfully so, but it's not the only rover on the red planet. In fact, in some ways, Opportunity, the other NASA rover still operational on Mars, is even more deserving of accolades, if only because it's getting close to its 10th year on the planet.
The small rover was only supposed to work for a few weeks, but it's pretty clear that NASA's engineers built it for a much longer mission.
Opportunity is now getting ready to weather out another winter, its sixth on the harsh planet. A Mars year comprises 687 Earth days, which is why the number is smaller than you might expect.
Unlike on Earth, it's not the cold or even the weather that Opportunity has to worry about. After all, the Martian summer is cold enough. The big problem is sunlight, as less of it hits the surface of the planet as it tilts away from the sun.
Since Opportunity is solar powered, that's a huge problem. But the rover has arrived to its planned winter hideout, close to a place called Solander Point. It is now sitting on a North-facing slope, which means that its solar panels will get more sunlight than if it had been on flat ground.