But at first Spirit's landing site at Gusev Crater was a bit of a dud.

NPR: Mars Rover Marks Second Anniversary of Landing

Spirit is currently climbing high into the Columbia Hills, which rise above Gusev crater where the spacecraft landed.

CNN: Mars rovers working overtime

Later on in its mission, Spirit will investigate a large crater at its Gusev Crater landing site called Bonneville Crater.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Rover sets Mars distance record

Over in Gusev Crater, Spirit had been running low on energy as the martian dust began to cover the rover's solar panels.

NPR: Mars Rover Marks Second Anniversary of Landing

And Gusev is no longer the scientific dud it appeared to be.

NPR: Mars Rover Marks Second Anniversary of Landing

Gusev was arrested, a remote-control antenna was found hidden in his car.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Security Meltdown at State Department Start at the Top

The two rovers far outlasted their warranties, with Spirit exploring its Gusev Crater landing site until getting stuck in deep Martian sand.

MSN: A stunning close-up of Mars taken by visiting NASA rover

Devic, Yehven Konoplyanka and Oleg Gusev all sent shots over the crossbar in a frenzied opening, in which England struggled to get out of its own half.

WSJ: Euro 2012: Wayne Rooney Returns for England and All's Well

Gusev was receiving transmissions from a bug.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Security Meltdown at State Department Start at the Top