Transit (astronomy) of Mercury from Saturn and a transit of Venus from Saturn. No missions were planned to coincide with the transit of Earth visible from Mars on 11 May 1984 and the Viking missions had been terminated a year previously. Consequently, the next opportunity to observe such an alignment will be in 2084. On December 21, 2012, the "Cassini–Huygens" probe, in orbit around Saturn, observed the planet Venus transiting the Sun. On 3 June 2014, the Mars rover "Curiosity" observed the planet Mercury transiting the Sun, marking the first time a planetary transit has been observed from a celestial body besides
Mars Exploration Rover one Martian year anniversary (669 sols or 687 Earth days) on November 20, 2005. "Opportunity" celebrated its anniversary on December 12, 2005. At the beginning of the mission, it was expected that the rovers would not survive much longer than 90 Martian days. The Columbia Hills were "just a dream", according to rover driver Chris Leger. "Spirit" explored the semicircular rock formation known as Home Plate. It is a layered rock outcrop that puzzles and excites scientists. It is thought that its rocks are explosive volcanic deposits, though other possibilities exist, including impact deposits or sediment borne by wind or