Mars Rover Completes a Marathon

With a short expedition of 153 feet, the Mars Rover officially completed a marathon on the Red Planet on Tuesday, making it the first “human enterprise” to accomplish the feat on another planet. “This mission isn’t about setting distance records, of course; it’s about making scientific discoveries on Mars and inspiring future explorers to achieve even more,” said Cornell University’s Steve Squyres. “Still, running a marathon on Mars feels pretty cool.” The Rover’s time, though, wouldn’t quite fly at a major terrestrial event: The marathon-length jaunt took it 11 years and two months.