Mars dust storm clears, raising hope for stalled rover Opportunity

MIAMI – One of the biggest Martian dust storms on record is clearing up after nearly three months, raising hope that NASA's stranded solar-powered robotic vehicle, Opportunity, will soon come back to life. The storm was first detected on May 30, and the U.S. space agency's 15-year-old rover was last heard from on June 10, when it went into "sleep" mode as dust blocked out the sun and darkness enveloped the red planet. A NASA statement issued late Thursday called the situation "critical" but added that "the rover team is cautiously optimistic, knowing that Opportunity has overcome significant challenges during its 14-plus years on Mars." If no successful contact can be made, NASA will give up active efforts in mid-October. "If we do not hear back after 45 days, the team will be forced to conclude that the sun-blocking dust and the Martian cold have conspired to cause some type of fault from which the rover will more than likely not recover," said John Callas, Opportunity project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.