NASA's Mars rover "Opportunity" broke the record for the longest distance traveled on an alien world on July 27. 

The record was previously held by Lunokhod 2 from the Soviet Union. NASA's Mars rover has traveled a 25-mile distance on Mars compared to Lunokhod 2 with 24 miles on the Moon.

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John Callas, manager of Mars Exploration Rover Project, said Opportunity has travelled farther than any other vehicle on an extraterrestrial world.

Opportunity was designed to travel a distance of only one kilometer and it's remarkable it was able to reach 25 miles, Callas said.

The Rover was sent to Mars in 2004 together with its twin rover, Spirit. NASA estimated a 90-day lifespan for both rovers. Both lived longer than their estimated lifespans but NASA lost contact with Spirit in 2010.

Lunokhod 2 was sent to the Moon in 1973 and was able to travel a total of 24.2 miles in about five months, according to calculations made by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Steve Squyres of Cornell University in New York and principal investigator for NASA's twin rovers said the Lunokhod mission is still considered an important accomplishment in the 1960s and the 1970s.

This decade was considered the "first golden age of planetary exploration."

"We now live in what is considered as the second golden age of planetary exploration," said Squyres.

"The success of the Mars rovers can only be attributed to the success of the Lunokhod exploration that served as an inspiration," he added.

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was sent to Mars on Jan. 25, 2004, and landed on a plain called Meridiani Planum.

NASA designed the rover for a 90 Sol mission. Sol is one Martian day, which is longer than an Earth day by 37 minutes.

Opportunity's mission was extended several times because the rover continues to make new discoveries on the Red Planet.

The rover encountered a few problems during the mission like getting stuck in sand dunes for more than a month. It has, however, continued to provide remarkable data.

TagsNASA, Mars, rover, opportunity