Boa Noite Oppy

What a beautifully done documentary. I'm old enough to remember the promise of the 21st century that was popularized in the 1960s. To say that this century so far has been disappointing is an understatement. Following current events can be disheartening.

Then I watch something like this and I am reminded that there are people in the world who are still working on that promise my 6th grade science teacher made about how exciting space exploration would be in "the future." These are the people who are keeping that hopefulness alive and I am grateful for them.

This film is made in that spirit of my 6th grade teacher. It isn't highly technical and doesn't seek to teach the technical or science behind the mission. Instead, it is inspirational and enlightening because it reminds us that it really isn't robots exploring other worlds, but human beings who are dedicated to something that will make a mark on the future.

Humans are on Mars and they are exploring another planet.

We all make ripples in our worlds that go further and last longer than our short lives on earth. These dedicated engineers and scientists are remarkable and their ripples will be felt by generations to come even if no one knows or remembers their names. The knowledge they acquire will outlive them. I think that is what makes a human life meaningful. This film will help expand that meaning. I highly recommend this film to anyone who cares about those higher aspirations.

Goodnight Oppy, by Ryan White is a documentary that brings both excitement and curiosity. I loved learning about how the scientists related to Opportunity, nicknamed Oppy, almost as if she/it was their child. I also loved that, no matter what went wrong, they always never gave up and always thought she would go on. And she did! She outlived her life expectancy by 150 months!

The inspirational true story follows Opportunity, the veteran interplanetary Mars Exploration Rover, affectionately dubbed Oppy by her creators and scientists at NASA. Oppy was originally expected to live for only 90 days but ultimately explored Mars for nearly 15 years. The film follows Oppy's groundbreaking journey on Mars and the remarkable bond forged between a robot and her humans millions of miles away.

Exploring the last 15 years of interplanetary exploration with Opportunity and her twin sister is so interesting. Opportunity and Spirit were identical twins, both 5'2" tall, with human like eyes. I love how the humans associated with them thought of them almost as their children. It takes a long 6 months to get to Mars from Earth. Spirit was launched on July 7, 2003 and Opportunity followed three weeks after that date. I found I it fascinating how, no matter what happened to the rovers, the scientists kept believing that they would work again. My favorite part of their day was the wake up song! It is amazing how Opportunity and Spirit could respond and think for themselves. I enjoyed watching their journey exploring Mars and all the photos they sent back. What stands out most in this documentary is how everyone keeps believing in the two rovers; they never give up.

This inspiring documentary reveals the discoveries that these two rovers gave us about Mars. The film helps audiences understand the incredible amount of work that the scientists and the robots' creators put in to achieve the accomplishments of these two robots. They gave us so much information we never had previously.

I give Goodnight Oppy 5 out of 5 stars from me and I recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It is available now on Amazon Prime. By Sariah R., KIDS FIRST!

I watch all space exploration shows through my Dad's eyes. He was born in 1899, was in the second class of electrical engineers at Penn State, worked over 40 years at General Electric) and he never tired of the "New". He died in 1987, having watched every launch, every landing, and heard every word. He set his alarm to wake up and watch landings, even if on at 3:00 AM. The shuttle was a fascination. Nothing was boring.

Perhaps because he worked for General Electric (very involved with space programs) ? But his engineering background just lit him up.

I have read a lot of reviews for this film, and realize how jaded folks can be today. We are so used to new accomplishments, the new stuff is boring?

I am not finished with this movie yet, but when I watched Oppy roll onto the surface of Mars, I teared up. Proud of human accomplishment. Anticipating what is coming. Wishing I could go to Mars so I can channel the sites and sounds through my senses to my dad. (Yes I am fascinated by Quantam Physics!). We should all watch these accomplishments and be amazed what we can do without fighting with each other.

I've known its 14 years of duty, and how its mission and live had ended on Mars. But seeing it on a docu-film like this broke my heart. :( Her 92-day tenure and overcoming it, serving for 14 years... just wow! And at the end, saying goodbye to her breaks our hearts. It kinda has the soul of Wall-E, so if you're familiar with the Pixar-type of storytelling, you'll love this film. Unarguably one of the best productions of Amazon Prime Video of 2022! If you're a space enthusiast and curious about Mars, you should definitely see this film. Maybe one day, they'll make her story an animation film, who knows... :)

Beauty!

A worthy epilogue for one of the most daring feat of human exploration- full of emotion and passion.

For those that were young when the twin missions were launched, our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow and our childhoods were intertwined with the discoveries and daily updates about this mission.

Thus, pretty much like for those magnificent human beings that toiled towards making this happen, Opportunity and Spirit became more than robots- in them we could see the reflections of human dedication and perseverance.

Good night, Oppy! Good Night Spirit! May the stars watch over you!