When the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity touched down on Mars in January 2004, they were expected to drive a few hundred yards and last ninety days. Seven-plus years later, the hardy robots have proven to be two of the greatest explorers of the Space Age, trekking miles across hostile deserts, climbing mountains, scrambling in and out of craters, and cheating death many times. Now comes the sad news that while Opportunity continues to roll, Spirit has reached the end of the road. Death of a Mars Rover tells the epic story of Spirit and Opportunity, and the desperate effort to save Spirit after she drove into a quicksand trap and then fell silent over a year ago.
