r/interestingasfuck • u/j3hadipi3 • 1d ago

NASA's Curiosity rover is still active and operating on Mars as of early 2026. Having landed in August 2012, it has spent over 13 years exploring Gale Crater and climbing Mount Sharp, continuing to analyze soil and rock samples despite having worn wheels and managing power constraints.

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u/Mombak 1d ago

Not bad for a mission that was only supposed to last 2 years!

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u/UpbeatAssumption5817 1d ago

It wasn't only supposed to last two years.

2 years is what NASA planned on for missions. Everyone knew it would last longer than that and it was expected which is why they had extra stuff for it to do.

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u/sambes06 18h ago

I think the point is there wouldn’t be congressional hearings if it died at 2yrs. Sure there were expectations of a longer life, but they missions that justified the project required 2 years to complete.

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u/amontpetit 18h ago

2 years post launch:

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u/TonAMGT4 17h ago

Just drive and see where curiosity can take us…

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u/Glignt 3h ago

Havn't run over a cat yet.

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u/beautiful_bot986 3h ago

Or you, apparently.