Now tack on the fact that it has an initial 2 year mission powered by an RTG. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator http://en.wikip

Now tack on the fact that it has an initial 2 year mission powered by an RTG. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_gen... ...but not just any RTG, a MMRTG: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Mission_Radioisotope_Thermoelectric_Generator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Mission_Radioisotope_Ther... It's able to supply a steady 125 W of power for 14 years, before dropping to 100W. The technology has been used reliably on multiple projects. Based on the longevity of the previous rovers that have safely made it to Mars it's worth considering that barring mechanical malfunctions and hardware failures (it has two main computers) the rover could turn power off to non critical components after 14 years and continue to run on 100W. It might not be far fetched to think that this rover could still be running if/when humans arrive in the 2030s. That's far cooler than what you would get running on the latest and greatest for convenience.