Twin robot geologists Spirit and Opportunity are hard at work making important scientific discoveries on Mars. But that doesn’t mean NASA — and the world — can’t have a little fun with the mission:
April 2nd, 2004
Opportunity Update: Biting into ‘Bounce’
Opportunity’s rock abrasion tool ground into “Bounce” for just over two hours, producing a 6.44-millimeter (0.25 inch) hole that will allow the rover’s spectrometer’s to analyze the rock’s chemical composition.
April 2nd, 2004
Spirit Finds Multi-Layer Hints of Past Water at Mars’ Gusev Site
Clues from a wind-scalloped volcanic rock on Mars investigated by NASA’s Spirit rover suggest repeated possible exposures to water inside Gusev Crater, scientists said Thursday.
Gusev is halfway around the planet from the Meridiani region where Spirit’s twin, Opportunity, recently found evidence that water used to flow across the surface.
March 31st, 2004
Center for Mars Exploration Concept Maps
These web pages are in the form of concept maps, tools for organizing and representing knowledge. Concepts, usually enclosed in boxes, can be events or objects, real or abstract (e.g. “ocean”, “pathway”, “deep”, “process”). Concepts may also consist of a phrase (e.g. “small organic molecules”, “heat from the Earth’s interior”). Two or more concepts are linked with words describing the relationship (e.g. “Mars is red”, “Human Body temperature typically 98.6 degrees”). Some concepts have Icons attached to them. This is to show there is more information available. By clicking on the icon, one or more choices appear. Selecting one of these choices will load a new web page. Concept Map icons will open new concept maps, movie icons will open a movie, etc. By doing this, one can easily browse through a set of maps.
March 25th, 2004
Heatshield on the Horizon
The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired this panoramic camera image mosaic on the 68th martian day, or sol, of its mission (March 12, 2004). The reflective speck about 200 meters (650 feet) away, on the far crater rim, was immediately a point of interest for scientists and engineers alike. They soon were able to identify it as Spirit’s protective heatshield.
March 23rd, 2004
Standing Body Of Water Left Its Mark In Mars Rocks
NASA’s Opportunity rover has demonstrated some rocks on Mars probably formed as deposits at the bottom of a body of gently flowing saltwater. “We think Opportunity is parked on what was once the shoreline of a salty sea on Mars,” said Dr. Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for the science payload on Opportunity and its twin Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit. Clues gathered so far do not tell how long or how long ago liquid water covered the area. To gather more evidence, the rover’s controllers plan to send Opportunity out across a plain toward a thicker exposure of rocks in the wall of a crater.
March 23rd, 2004
Mars Exploration Rover Briefings on NASA TV
Use this page to watch today’s 11pm PST news briefing from NASA Headquarters. RealPlayer and Windows Media streams are both available.
March 22nd, 2004
Spirit Update: One Step Closer
Spirit woke up on sol 77, which ended at 8:24 a.m. PST on March 22, 2004, to “One Step Closer” by the Doobie Brothers, since the rover was to make its final approach to the rock target named “Mazatzal” today.
March 22nd, 2004
Opportunity Update: Opportunity Leaves the Nest
After a slightly slippery start yestersol, Opportunity made it out of “Eagle Crater”on sol 57, which ends at 8:45 p.m. PST on March 22. The drive along the crater’s inner slope that was initiated on the last sol continued this sol until Opportunity exited its landing-site crater. Images from the navigation camera confirm that the rover is about 9 meters (about 29.5 feet) outside of the crater.
March 22nd, 2004
NASA Announces Major Mars Rover Finding on Tuesday, 23 March
NASA will announce a major scientific finding at a Space Science Update (SSU) Tuesday at 2 p.m. EST, in the headquarters Webb Auditorium, 300 E St. SW, Washington. The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity is exploring the martian Meridiani Planum and recently discovered evidence rocks at the landing site have been altered by water.