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Writer's pictureThomas Bennedetto

August 6th

Today is the birthday of the Curiosity rover. Its birthday is assigned to the Earth calendar day it landed on Mars. That being said, this is the rover's 10th birthday. Curiosity used to sing happy birthday to itself, but eventually moved past it. There's something very bittersweet about a robot singing to itself, knowing nobody else would hear it, only for the decision to be made that it's not worth the effort to sing to no one. Well, to be fair Curiosity isn't alone-alone, as Percy and Zhurong are around on Mars too, but that's like saying I'm not lonely because there are people living in Alabama.


One detail people often misunderstand is how big Curiosity is. Most people assume, because of the "rover" name, that Curiosity is probably about the size of a dog. The truth is Curiosity is a 10 foot long six wheeler. The thing is, a few previous rovers, including the Sojourner rover from the 90's, were about dog sized, but then again the smaller rovers typically have a shorter lifespans. It's like what rat owners will tell you, they have personalities not unlike dogs or cats but they only have like 1/10 of the lifespan.

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10 Comments


Calexta
Calexta
Aug 06, 2022

Also it's hard to believe you'd ever be lonely with your lovely mod team Tom.

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Calexta
Calexta
Aug 06, 2022
Replying to

Well I'm not going anywhere, and you can message me whenever you need to talk to anyone, even if you are just bored.

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Calexta
Calexta
Aug 06, 2022

Poor curiously, alone on a world of machines and bacteria. I wonder if it will ever meet another rover?

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Thomas Bennedetto
Thomas Bennedetto
Aug 06, 2022
Replying to

I hope so.

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Tori Corvelli
Tori Corvelli
Aug 06, 2022

WHY did I think Curiosity was dog-sized… And I get all sappy when it comes to the rovers. Curiosity once singing “Happy Birthday” to itself, so many miles from where it once called home, surrounded by lonesome dusty plains. “Oppy” finally dying after failing to respond to desperate signals. Spirit getting smothered by sand. 🥺 Sometimes humanity can’t help but humanize.

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Tori Corvelli
Tori Corvelli
Aug 06, 2022
Replying to

That is a beautifully thought-out reply. The rovers are built with care and love, their earthly caretakers cheer and cry when they make big accomplishments, people celebrate their lives and mourn their deaths. They’re like real, sentient creatures to us. After speedrunning a plot summary of The Velveteen Rabbit, I think I may understand what you’re implying. Curiosity is a good boy :) I would give many head pats, I think Curiosity would like that.

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