A single eyelash could ruin this mission searching for life on Mars 👽 Engineer Charlie Roe shows us some key features of the Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover. Join us tomorrow for the third and final lecture. Catch up on iPlayer: bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002p22s/royal-institution-christmas-lectures-2025-maggie-aderinpocock-is-there-life-beyond-earth-2-searching-the-solar-system | Royal Institution of Great Britain

NASA’s Opportunity rover, which landed on Mars in 2004, was built for a 90-day mission but far exceeded expectations, exploring the Red Planet for nearly 15 years. It traveled 28 miles (45 km), examined rocks and craters, and sent thousands of images that reshaped our understanding of Mars. The mission ended in 2018 when a massive dust storm blocked sunlight from its solar panels, cutting off communication. After more than a thousand failed attempts to reconnect, NASA declared the mission over i