We Still Love You From Afar, Curiosity

It’s been four years since you landed on Mars at Gale Crater. You didn’t hear the mad whoops of excitement then when you achieved that daring landing. And you certainly haven’t heard our appreciation for all that you’ve achieved in your ensuing time there.

There was that time when you let us know that, yeah, Gale Crater could have once been home to microbial life. Or that instance when you scooped up some Martian soil and found that it contained water. Or when you warned us about the high levels of radiation present on Mars, so we could plan accordingly for our own trip there.

According to NASA, you’re holding up pretty well. You’re a little beat-up, with some wear and tear on those six wheels, but everything’s still fully functional and up for the challenge of exploring and drilling into the red planet further.

We hope all that solitude isn’t getting you down, because it looks as though your stay just got extended for another two years.

So stay in touch and keep up the good work, Curiosity. Someday, we hope to see you again when humans finally follow in your bold path and set foot on Mars.