15 YEARS INTO THE MISSION
PRODUCTION ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE: John Callas: “MER project off the net.”
PRODUCTION ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE: STEVE SQUYRES:
“I don’t have to tell you guys, we get emotionally attached to these vehicles, right? You know you use a word like love advisedly. But, we love these rovers.” KOBIE BOYKINS: As a parent, I’m proud. We rewrote the history books. But as a human being, I’m really sad. Because she was a friend. STEVE SQUYRES: The whole project was bounded by that feeling of love. You’re loving the rover, and you’re loving the people who you build it with, and you’re loving the people who you operate it with and who tended it with you so lovingly for so many years.
GFX LOWER THIRD: SOL 5352, FEBRUARY 13, 2019
DOUG ELLISON: We were just staring out onto the floor of what’s called the dark room. That’s where we, for a decade and a half, all the commands had been sent to both rovers. It’s like, “Just wake up. We’ll make it all better. And we’ll get back to exploring.” ILM SFX ANIMATION: Oppy with her head angled down, dusty and worn down. The camera pushes in on her abdomen where the computer has no power and is dead. She appears very lifeless.
DOUG ELLISON: To each and every one of us, it has been the privilege of a lifetime. And you don’t get an adventure like that twice.
BEKAH SOSLAND-SIEGFRIEDT: Seconds go by. A minute goes by, and at that point we know.
ABIGAIL FRAEMAN: And I just had the most vivid flashback to landing night. Standing there as a 16-year-old in that same room, and just realizing what I wanted to do with my life. PRODUCTION ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE: Abby from landing night as an excited teenager. Shots of JPL team on landing night celebrating their success.
ILM SFX ANIMATION: The camera pulls away from the sun setting on the horizon, it lands in front of Oppy with a full body shot of her backlit. The camera circles around to behind her and angles up as it shows a brilliant night sky full of stars. ANGELA BASSETT (V.O.) Rover Diary: Sol 5352. Fifteen years into the mission. Since the very first day when she rolled herself into a hole in one at Eagle Crater, Opportunity has affectionately been called the lucky rover. And now, after receiving 13,744 command files, and lasting 5262 Sols past her original retirement age of 90 Sols, Opportunity’s incredible journey has come to its end. Good night Opportunity, well done.
ABIGAIL FRAEMAN: But the journey was over. And it all just kinda hit me at once.
STEVE SQUYRES: The operations team said, “Hey, we wanted to give you the opportunity to pick the final rover wake-up song.” I had never picked the rover wake-up song, and I really wanted to pick something that felt right. And, in the end, the song that I picked was about the ending of a relationship. And it’s…it’s this feeling of gratitude for the relationship that we had.
“I’ll Be Seeing You” ends.
I’ll Be Seeing You – Billie Holiday
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