Viral Friday: Here are the Last Images Caught By Defunct Doomed Probes

Here are the last images by the defunct doomed probes that came about in the past.

It is no surprise that some attempts to understand what lies beyond our planet end up in tragic end. After all, humans ideally live in the confines of the Earth, but technological advances have propelled us to stay elsewhere.

So, let us dedicate this page to remember the contribution of these defunct space explorations. Here are some of the probes and their last images before their end came.

MESSENGER - Mercury

NASA reported that MESSENGER was initially supposed to orbit Mercury for a year, but it has since been extended to four years, in which, the space agency has collected copious datasets about the smallest planet in the Solar System.

The first-ever spacecraft to orbit Mercury found itself hitting the surface of the planet, thus concluding its longer-than-expected journey.

The MESSENGER's last image before it hit the rocky surface of Mercury was a crater named Jokai.

Venera 13 - Venus

The Venera program is part of the series of probes that the USSR has laid out — thus its name, which is the Russian word for Venus.

According to Gizmodo, the exploration ran for a long time — from 1961 to 1983. The probe has landed numerous orbiters, landers, and spacecraft on the second planet from the sun.

Venera 13 is notably one of them, which sent the first images of the planet in color.

As mentioned, Venus' closeness with the sun made its surface too hot to handle with a temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit. As such, the Venera 13 only took flight on its surface for two hours before the heat completely destroyed it.

NASA and ESA have yet to launch their Venus exploration. Hopefully, it will not face the same fate that the USSR has experienced.

Spirit - Mars

Mars rovers relatively last longer than other counterparts. So, the Spirit had the longest life before it faced its doom, as far as this list is concerned.

Unlike the case of the Venera 13, wherein the hell-like temperature is at fault, the Spirit did not mind the freezing temperature or the thin atmosphere of the planet.

However, what led to its demise is dirt that trapped the Spirit. It was as if it was caught by quicksand, as per NASA.

Although it got stuck to the red planet, luckily, it could still work as a stationary science instrument. NASA did reclassify it as such in January 2010, but later on, in March 2010, the rover suddenly stopped its duties and concluded its mission in a tragic end.

Meanwhile, the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover landed on the red planet on February 21.

Cassini - Saturn

Cassini orbited Saturn for a total of 13 years until it crashed right into the planet.

Furthermore, Cassini was able to take photos of the moon of the ringed planet, which looks beautiful as they seemingly dance together.

The end of Cassini began as its fuel was about to run out.

As it was about to crash in the atmosphere of Saturn, the spacecraft still sent last-minute images of the planet to Earth. The photos have shown how the ringed planet still illuminates even at night through its distinct rings.

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Written by Teejay Boris