Would Love Some 'Opportunity' for My Blender

After wintering in a dusty divot for months, Opportunity, the Mars rover, is now awake and moving, according to an article posted on Space.com. While this is interesting news for the nerdy set, I was more interested in something a little closer to home when I read the article. Not that collecting information about clay on Mars isn’t important. It could be extremely relevant to my friends in Seagrove. Who knows what amazing creations some of the world’s best contemporary potters could fashion out of Martian materials?

However, my interest in Opportunity is more practical. It is a machine that can sit motionless in a dusty hole for months without breaking down. As Hubby and I slowly move items stored at the house we’re trying to sell to the house in which we currently live, I’ve found our Earth appliances lacking. And now, after reading about Opportunity, I realize we do possess the technology to make a vacuum cleaner or food processor that can withstand months in dusty storage and still work as it was intended.

Opportunity did need to be manufactured more durable and reliable than a vacuum cleaner to ensure the billions of dollars we’re spending to use it is not wasted. However, our appliances are just as important for day-to-day living. The scientists controlling and importing data from Opportunity need clean work and living spaces, healthy foods and clean clothes. Therefore, it would be nice if they could apply some of that appliance durability technology to areas other than outer space exploration devices. I would love a few household devices that can withstand three teenage boys, three dogs, two cats and other attributes of a household filled with hectivity for at least five years before they must be replaced.