It's unclear exactly how serious the MOLA anomaly really is (one should remember that the MOLA is thermally very sensitive) , but bear in mind that the instrument how far outlived its pre-mission estimated laser shot lifetime, and has achieved 100% of its mission goals. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that I was salivating over the latest (0.23 X 0.23 km^2) topo grids taken over Valles Marineris during the extended mission. All in all, the MGS instruments have performed almost flawlessly, with a few minor exceptions (e.g. the TES lost its primary calibration lamp during aerobraking) that have had zero effect on the mission. Indeed, from what I understand, the MOC hasn't even had to use any of its backup systems during the entire mission.

Alex R. Blackwell
University of Hawaii