> BOOKS
> Author Q&As
> Browse categories
> Browse most recent
> Most popular
> Login/Register
> Sign up!
> FAQs
> Follow us on Twitter!
> Writing Tips
Categories
Home > Universe > Mars > Little Rover Hates Her Job
Little Rover Hates Her Job
Submitted by: Nancy L. Young-Houser

Even though both twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have won over the hearts of the world in the past five years, Spirit has been the one which has grabbed everyone's attention with her past not-so-subtle statements, "I Hate Mars!" We all realize that rovers cannot speak, but apparently the little rover Spirit did not know that when she began sending disgusted message back to her human NASA project manager caretakers back in 2006.
According to Project Manager John Callas, "Spirit has been displaying some anomalous behavior." Not an understatement, this remark was based on the rover's child-like tantrum behavior to unsuccessfully attempt to flip itself over and damage its scientific instruments. Humorous to the public who were observing the behavior of the little rover, its antics were warming the heart of hundreds of observers who thought this abnormal behavior was "cute." But when it began to send thousands of thousands of messages on a daily basis to NASA headquarters, saying, "STILL NO WATER!" the independent behavior was finally thought to be showing a crisis of purpose.
NASA describes the little rover Spirit as a robot geologist, operating independently for over 990 Martian sols, or three year Earth years. But apparently Spirit thought this was too long, as NASA scientists began to recognize that Spirit has begun to function on a level of one who had been on Mars for 6,160 sols instead of 990 sols. Her behavior was normal until the beginning of another Martian winter in 2006, which typically meant for the rovers a period of shorter days and frigid temperatures that on Earth would mean the onset of S.A.D., or seasonal affective disorder, for humans—not rovers on Mars.
The behavior of Spirit became even more pronounced with her powering down and refusing to transmit anything back to NASA, and if she did it was to say, "ANOTHER SOIL SAMPLE OF THE EXACT SAME COMPOSITION AS THE LAST ONE," which showed extreme disgust and frustration with her job. And over the winter days, she began to produce page and page into the thousands, filled with rambling data which made absolutely no sense. If it did make sense, it was to complain that Mars was nothing but the same ol' basalt, with loud rants questioning why the cost and scientific relevance of the mission was allowed to go on. But what really grabbed everyone was when she sent back three days in a row a picture of the same image, saying "HAPPY NOW?"
But the most distressing news to the project organizers was when the little rover had scrawled "F*** MARS" in the red dust to send back to NASA telling them how distressed she was, which definitely showed an instance of erratic behavior. And her data was suggesting that her sister rover Opportunity had found water and wasn't telling anyone, least of all her. Hopeful that the little rover would soon be able to get on her feet and get working, the last of NASA's article was an attempt to glean usable data from her final statement, "OVERPRICED SPACE-ROOMBA AWAITING MORE BULLSHIT ORDERS!"
* * * * *
Nancy L. Young-Houser is a professional writer and illustrator, in addition to providing a home for dogs on all levels of need with her best friend, Sandra Marquiss. Her writings include controversial subjects as part of the soapbox she has carried around since childhood, never leaving home without it. Part of this soapbox is her website WayCoolDogs.com filled with lots of four-legged information!
Tell A Friend
