I want to send out a hearty CONGRATS to the brilliant engineers and scientists on the Mars rover team: Spirit just passed it's 900th sol (Martian day) on the Red Planet. It was designed to last for only 90 sols, so it has endured for a solid factor of 10 times what the original specs called for. When was the last time you had a device last 900% longer than the warranty? I had a router blow out last night that I bought just a few months ago, and it's not sitting on a planet millions of kilometers away, weathering sandstorms and subzero temperatures. The other rover, Opportunity, will have its 900th sol in a couple of weeks. Wow. Smart people: gotta love 'em.
