A special team at NASA creates 2 “robo geologists” and launches them into space to land on Mars, to find “scientific gold”.
Will the surviving robot “Oppy” fulfill its mission to find out whether mars ever had drinkable water (and thus life).
This doc makes you feel good about humans. Making dreams happen.
Witness the awe-inspiring tale of this rockin’ rover that turns a 90-day mission into a 15-year Martian saga.
“Good Night Oppy” Trailer
Watch “Good Night Oppy”
Stream it on Prime Video at https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0TSZK4ME9MWRRNEYMMS8SLVLWP/. That’s the only place I see to watch the full movie online (probably cuz it’s an Amazon Original).
Ratings:
- My Rating: 99/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 100 user score; 87 critic score (13% of critics were way wrong on this one!)
Review of Good Night Oppy (spoiler alerts!)
Well dang, if this 104-minute doc doesn’t take you on an interstellar feels trip about the power of human ingenuity!
No suprise that Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment put out this doc.
“Good Night Oppy” is the tale of two plucky NASA rovers named Spirit and Opportunity, shot into space in 2003 to scout Mars for signs of water.
After their wild 300 million mile ride, Spirit pulls off an improbable hole-in-one, landing smack dab in a crater (and just try parallel parking at 11,320mph!).
Back on Earth, NASA eggheads pace Mission Control, because these robots are powered by the sun. And Mars has crazy dust storms that could coat their solar panels.
Spirit conks out in a sand trap, but Opportunity soldiers on.
This scrappy six-wheeler fast becomes an interplanetary legend, dodging boulders and craters in a 15-year, 28-mile trek.
Dubbed “Miss Opportunity” by adoring earthlings, she poses her robotic arm for glamour shots amid alien landscapes. Her warranty expires, then her batteries sputter, but NASA rejiggers communication protocols to squeeze every last electron.
When a massive dust storm blacks out the sky for months, controllers radio desperately for a response. Only static comes back. Even the stoic NASA nerds now weep.
By chronicling how one modest robot won hearts and minds, this doc shows how unrelenting human ingenuity can pay off big-time.
What began as a 90-day geologic survey became a 15-year poignant saga of interstellar wanderlust, heroic resilience, and scientific promise.
In the end, Opportunity didn’t just scout for Martian water. It found reserves of human inspiration that continue to sustain bold dreams of exploration.
What a little robot! What a trip!
“Good Night Oppy” is full of many shareable nuggets.
Here are nuggs I made note of:
- Jet Propulsion Labs’ first challenge: safely landing the two rovers on Mars.
- They test airbags for landing on artificial Mars boulders, but the airbags are ripped to shreds.
- Parachutes are tested next; they too are ripped to shreds.
- The rovers speed to Mars (11,320 miles per hour) is equivalent to crossing the U.S. in 12 minutes.
- It turns out that “Dust Devils” (dust tornadoes) are a regular appearance on Mars (NASA underestimated that risk).
- Contrary to fears, the Dust Devils act beneficially, cleaning the solar panels of the rovers, much like Windex.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc