The little rover that could, Spirit, is literally king of the hill. The Martian hill! After fourteen months it finally fought its way atop the crest of the tallest obstacle in view from its original landing site, some three kilometers distant. From atop Husband Hill in the Columbia Hills (named to honor the lost ship and her commander), this impressive perch allowed Spirit to beam back breathtaking images that simply must not be missed, found here.
To date Spirit and twin Opportunity have together built a panoply unprecedented, an overstuffed, often under-appreciated portfolio of ancient rock and beige sky blueberries, dust devils and wavy dunes, yet ever also the familiar solar panels and research equipment Spirit hauls along its trek. These new images still spread a little icing though, in a mission full of cake taking. (The journal Science selected the rovers' work detecting traces of early water on Mars as "Breakthrough of the Year.")
Having climbed over one hundred meters in elevation to reach its current spot, that splendid view rewarded the decision to attempt the summit. There are good geological reasons for such a climb, though the irresistible human urge to see "what's on the other side" no doubt encouraged those reasons. Though remaining in the larger Gusev crater, different elevations provide useful strata data. And the fun's not over; among other tasks scheduled for the rovers are Mars-based photographs of Phobos and Deimos, the tiny moons of Mars. Let metal eyes turn upwards until human eyes can do.
Spirit, like its twin Opportunity, has outlasted its specification life dutifully and admirably. (This written on day 577 of a 90 day mission.) In terms of overall distance traveled, Spirit closes in on five thousand meters while Opportunity is almost at six. As they continue to pass along such inspiring photos it's clear the priceless science performed on our rocky neighbor contains (unlike truth, perhaps?) a surprising bounty of beauty.
Neil Armstrong no less remarked recently that going to Mars could very well be easier than going to the moon almost forty years ago. Maybe so. Certainly no mechanical treadmarks met his foot! The vanguard of our intellect, our technology precedes us into frontiers our frail bodies cannot yet reach. Taking things one step at a time, I do believe we have to realize our grip on earth orbit and the moon before we organize to land on Mars. In the meantime, carrying our dreams, the Spirit on the mountain gives a tantalizing preview of what's yet to come.