Days(^01) , 0
(^00)
(^2) , 0
(^00)
(^3) , 0
(^00)
(^4) , 0
(^00)
(^5) , 0
(^00)
(^6) , 0
(^00)
Minutes
Huygens
Venera 13
MASCOT
Chang’e 3
Venera 13 on Venus
127 minutes
Huygens on Titan
72 minutes
MASCOT on
Asteroid Ryugu
17 hours 7 minutes
Chang’e 3 on the Moon
2,169 days
(as of November 21, 2019)
Opportunity
Philae on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
240 days
Opportunity on Mars
5,251 days
(5,111 sols)
Philae
(^020)
0
(^40)
0
(^60)
0
(^80)
0
(^1) , 0
(^00)
(^1) , 2
(^00)
WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 11
SPACECRAFT SURVIVAL RATES
MEASURED DAYS. Humans have sent numerous probes to other worlds, allowing
robots to set foot(pads) where we cannot. But some landing sites are harsher than
others. Although many missions today, such as those sent to Mars or the Moon,
are designed to last months or years, several landers that have touched down on
other worlds survived only minutes or hours before going dark. Here’s a list of
the longest survival times, to date, for landing sites across our solar system. — A.K.
In preparation for the upcom-
ing launches of NASA’s Mars
2020 rover and the European
Space Agency’s ExoMars
rover, a team of scientists
recently traveled to the Pilbara
region of Australia to study
ancient examples of life.
Specifically, the researchers
analyzed stromatolites, which
are the oldest confirmed fossil-
ized life-forms on Earth. These
ancient microbes resembled
pond scum and were fossilized
after becoming trapped in sea
sediment billions of years ago.
By examining the microbes’
remains, the researchers say
they’ll be better prepared to
recognize any stromatolite-like
fossils that the Mars rovers
might uncover. — J.P.
Exploring ancient life in Australia
FAST FACT
Apollo 17 was the
longest crewed landing
on another world. The
astronauts spent a total
of about 75 hours on the
Moon’s surface, from
landing to liftoff.
5,
The number
of fiber-optic
cables in the
Dark Energy
Spectroscopic
Instrument
at Kitt Peak
National
Observatory.
Each cable
can image an
entire galaxy
to determine
its position and
motion in space.
AS
TR
ON
OM
Y:^
RO
EN
K
EL
LY
NA
SA
/JP
L-C
AL
TE
CH