Can you guess where this sunset was taken?

PIA07997: A Moment Frozen in Time. Produced by Cornell University

Get the full details of this photo here

This image was taken where no human has set foot! This is a sunset from the planet Mars. The spectacular image was taken by NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. The two Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been two of the most successful missions in our history! It was hoped that the rovers would operate for at least 91 Martian days. However, now with Spirit on it’s 1,261st day and Opportunity on it’s 1,240th day and setting records, it is a tremendous achievement for the Rover teams.

Did you know the Rovers were given their names by the winner of a school essay process? Sofi Collis, a third-grade Russian-American student from Arizona wrote:

I used to live in an Orphanage.
It was dark and cold and lonely.
At night, I looked up at the sparkly sky and felt better.
I dreamed I could fly there.
In America, I can make all my dreams come true…..
Thank-you for the “Spirit” and the “Opportunity”

Sofi Collis, age 9

The Rovers are facing their biggest danger since landing on Mars, over 3 Earth years ago. There are severe dust storms on the planet causing the rover batteries to drain to dangerous levels. The rovers depend on solar power to charge their batteries however the storms have greatly reduced their efficiency.

You can always find mission updates and status by visiting the Nasa website:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/index.html

Or Rover details on the JPL website:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html