Several articles have mentioned that the last ever commands were sent to the unresponsive Opportunity rover today by NASA. Now, I know that it wasn't a verbal message, but was there anything digital sent that was sentimental or meaningful that appeals to our emotions (easter eggs)? Or was it the electronic equivalent of "turn off"?
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13$\begingroup$ All I can guess is that it probably wasn't "thanks for all the fish" $\endgroup$– uhohFeb 13, 2019 at 23:59
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3$\begingroup$ @uhoh not too far off, to be honest hah! $\endgroup$– Magic Octopus UrnFeb 14, 2019 at 4:09
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$\begingroup$ Related: space.stackexchange.com/q/34243/198 $\endgroup$– Martin SchröderFeb 18, 2019 at 18:48
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From ArsTechnica:
Late Tuesday night, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent their final data uplink to the Opportunity rover on Mars. Over this connection, via the Deep Space Network, the American jazz singer Billie Holiday crooned "I'll Be Seeing You," a song that closes with the lines:
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new I'll be
looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you
I'll be seeing you by Billie Holiday
Now if you excuse me, I have something in my eye...
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4$\begingroup$ ...apparently there absolutely was some indication! $\endgroup$– uhohFeb 14, 2019 at 2:10
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4$\begingroup$ Yep, now I feel bad for a robot. $\endgroup$ Feb 14, 2019 at 14:03
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3$\begingroup$ Thanks for this. Um. I had to go stand in the kitchen for a minute. $\endgroup$– MikeyFeb 14, 2019 at 14:39
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4$\begingroup$ @Fattie How did NASA's Deep Space Network encode and broadcast music to Opportunity? $\endgroup$– uhohFeb 14, 2019 at 23:39