Nasa’s Mars rover Opportunity has begun recording eclipses on the Red Planet, the first time the phenomenon has been witnessed on another world.
The rover’s panoramic camera has taken pictures of the moons Deimos and Phobos as they passed in front of the Sun on 4 March and 7 March respectively.
March 10th, 2004
Nasa rovers view Martian eclipses
March 10th, 2004
Mars Opportunity: Hopping Along the ‘Bunny’ Trail
When Opportunity opened its panoramic eye on Mars for a snapshot that proved its landing a success, scientists in charge of the mission cheered. But the image managed to furrow the brows of researchers too, for included is its sweep of the Martian landscape at Meridiani Planum was a small object that looked remarkably like a set of bunny ears.
March 9th, 2004
Mars Rover’s Stuck Grinder Fixed Discovery Channel
As Spirit continued making tracks toward the rim of a Martian crater, ground control teams were coaxing its twin, stationed halfway around the globe, to make another attempt to bore into what scientists have nicknamed Flat Rock.
March 9th, 2004
Mars rovers’ lifetime boosted
The US space agency’s Mars rovers may work for up to 240 days on the Red Planet, about 150 more than the mission team had originally projected.
Mission engineers have analysed power data for both Spirit and Opportunity which shows the vehicles are performing much better than they had expected.
Mission engineers have analysed power data for both Spirit and Opportunity which shows the vehicles are performing much better than they had expected.
March 9th, 2004
Grinding tool on Mars rover stalled Canadian TV
NASA engineers figured out why a grinding tool on the Mars rover Opportunity failed to even leave a mark on a rock that scientists had targeted during the weekend.
The grind motor in the rock abrasion tool stalled, most likely because of dust and dirt, as well as temperature variations, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement Monday.
March 9th, 2004
The Discovery in Pictures: How Opportunity Divined Water on Mars
Never in history has a robot behaved so much like a human geologist.
NASA’s Opportunity rover provided many lines of evidence suggesting its landing site was once drenched in water. While some of the evidence involved complex observations and analysis of chemicals and minerals, the discovery was made possible by the robot’s ability to survey its surroundings and then drill into rocks — just like a field geologist.
March 8th, 2004
Spirit Mission Status: Rolling Along
During its 62nd sol on Mars, ending at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, PST, NASA’s Spirit advanced about one-fifth of the remaining distance between where it began the sol and its mid-term destination, the rim of the crater nicknamed “Bonneville.”
March 8th, 2004
Opportunity Mission Status: No Hole This Time
NASA’s Opportunity attempted to grind a shallow hole into a target called “Flat Rock” during its 42nd sol on Mars, ending at 10:51 a.m. Sunday, PST. However, the operation of the rover’s rock abrasion tool produced almost no discernable impression on the rock.
March 8th, 2004
Unreal Film-maker of Martian Reality Astrobiology Magazine
Daniel Maas is the driver behind the stunningly realistic animations that depict the current Mars Exploration Rovers. His renderings have brought a standard to visualization in planetary exploration not previously possible. Astrobiology Magazine had the opportunity to talk with Maas about how his project came to life.
March 7th, 2004
Mars Rover Fails to Dig Hole in Rock
Scientists planned to run tests on the rover Opportunity after it failed to grind a hole in Martian rock on Sunday, NASA officials said. The rover tried, unsuccessfully, to use one of its many tools to grind away at an outcropping dubbed “Flat Rock,” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement on its Web site.