Opportunity has Landed and is Alive!

MER - B Opportunity has performed a perfect entry and landing at Mars. I watched the whole thing on NASA TV. How cool is it that you can virtually be present in the JPL control center while this is going on?

In related news, MER-A Spirit's controllers believe they have diagnosed the problems it has been having, and that they will be able to continue doing science once compensations have been performed.

Mars exploration like we've never seen it before!

/does a little Mars happy dance

Ya, I'm happy, though they could have done without the govenator and his trusty sidekick Al, but hey. It's down, and safe, and sent out the "no fault" tone.

Maybe when the science missions are done, they can send Spirit and Opportunity over to the Pathfinder landing site, and they can go battle bot on each other.

Too bad we can't put a man on Mars to keep these rovers running. ;)

I read somewhere (JPL website I ithink) that the major problem with the rovers lifespan was dust gathering on the solar panels.
I couldn't find any other info and I looked cos this seems like a trivial and surmountable issue.
Obviously it's not but why? Any ideas.
Seems like a waste of resources to allow it/them to succumb to the effects of poor housekeeping.