This cylindrical projection was constructed from a sequence of three images taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The images were acquired on sol 94 (April 29, 2004) of Opportunity’s mission to Meridiani Planum. The camera acquired the images at approximately 12:40 local solar time, or around 9:15 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The images were taken from the rover’s new location about 20 meters (65 feet) away from the rim of Opportunity’s next target, “Endurance Crater.”
April 28th, 2004
Spirit’s Travels
This overview map made from Mars Orbiter camera images illustrates the path that the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has taken from its first sol on the red planet through its 107th sol. As of sol 112 (April 26, 2004), Spirit has passed “Missoula” crater and sits approximately 1,900 meters (1.18 miles) away from its destination at the western base of the “Columbia Hills.” While most of Spirit’s journey has been over the very angular rocks that make up the ejecta fields surrounding “Bonneville” crater, the rover’s next 50 or so sols will be spent traversing over martian plains that are dominated by rounder, vesicle-filled rocks.
April 28th, 2004
Opportunity’s Travels
This overview map made from Mars Orbiter camera images illustrates the path that the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has taken from its first sol on the red planet through its 87th sol. After thoroughly examining its “Eagle Crater” landing-site, the rover moved onto the plains of Meridiani Planum, stopping to examine a curious trough and a target within it called “Anatolia.” Following that, Opportunity approached and remotely studied the rocky dish called “Fram Crater.” As of its 91st sol (April 26, 2004), the rover sits 160 meters (about 525 feet) from the rim of “Endurance Crater.”
April 26th, 2004
Sibling Rivalry: A Mars/Earth Comparison
Scientific understanding is often a matter of making the right comparisons. In terms of studying the Earth, one of the best comparative laboratories exists one planet over — on Mars. In many ways, the study of Mars provides Earth-bound scientists with a control set as they look at the processes of climate change, geophysics, and the potential for life beyond our own planet.
April 20th, 2004
The Case Of The Electric Martian Dust Devils
Scientists have found clues that dust devils on Mars might have high-voltage electric fields, based on observations of their terrestrial counterpart. This research supports NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration by helping to understand what challenges the Martian environment presents to explorers, both robotic and eventually human.
April 15th, 2004
Mars Rover Finds Rock Resembling Meteorites That Fell to Earth
NASA’s Opportunity rover has examined an odd volcanic rock on the plains of Mars’ Meridiani Planum region with a composition unlike anything seen on Mars before, but scientists have found similarities to meteorites that fell to Earth.
April 14th, 2004
NASA Engineer Hopes Mars Is In Her Future
Jenny Gruber has wanted to be an astronaut since she was seven. That’s when she saw “The Right Stuff,” the 1983 movie that chronicled the early years of America’s human space program. But she thought it unlikely that a child growing up amid meager surroundings in Omaha, Neb., could ever join the ranks of those who led the way into space. “I grew up in a trailer park in Omaha. My dad is a bricklayer. My mother is a teacher. Statistically speaking, I should not be where I am today,” Gruber said.
April 13th, 2004
Spirit Update: Refreshed and Ready to Rock and Rove
On Sol 98, which ended at 10:36 p.m. PST on April 12, Spirit woke up to the song “Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies in honor of its software transplant. The good news is that Spirit’s “mind” is updated and operating as expected.
Controllers gave the go to reboot the rover’s computer, which would then run the new software during the morning of sol 98. The command was sent, and a little over a half hour later, engineers saw the carrier beep that indicated that the command was received.
April 8th, 2004
NASA Extends Mars Rovers’ Mission
NASA has approved an extended mission for the Mars Exploration Rovers, handing them up to five months of overtime assignments, as they finish their three-month prime mission.
The first of the two, Spirit, met the success criteria set for its prime mission. Spirit gained check marks in the final two boxes on April 3 and 5, when it exceeded 600 meters (1,969 feet) of total drive distance and completed 90 martian operational days after landing.
April 6th, 2004
NASA’s Mars Success Honored At Disney World Day Of Discovery
NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe joins NASA scientists, mission managers and a Mars rover today to help Disney’s Epcot, at the Walt Disney World Resort, celebrate the success of the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. The Administrator’s now famous quote, “We’re back. . . and we’re on Mars” is being added to a permanent collection of space-related quotations on the fa