Exploring the Red Planet

7/28/2019 Exploring the Red Planet

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Exploring the Red Planet

2003 Rovers 2003 Mars Express 2005 Orbiter 2007 Scout 2009 Science Lab

2009 Telecomm Orbiter 2013 Sample Return Pathfinder Global Surveyor 2001 Odyssey

Beagle 2 Japan Nozomi Polar/Climate Phobos Mariners

Vikings All Probes Future Plans Human Trips Mars the Planet

test news from the Red Planet:

Two American Rovers Working On Mars

r the first time since America's twin Viking landers touched down on the Red Planet in 1976, NASA has two spacecraft

rking on the surface of Mars. The space agency has completed successfully five of its six attempts to land on Mars. The

verSpiritwas launched from Earth on June 10, 2003, and landed on Mars on January 4, 2004, at Gusev Crater, which

y be an ancient lake. Its twin, Opportunity, was launched on July 8, 2003, and landed on Mars on January 25, 2004, at

eridiani Planum, which has minerals associated with water. On March 2, 2004, NASA announced that the rovers had

nfirmed liquid water once flowed on Mars.

Current Events at Mars

EARLIER

EVENTS:

MARCH

2004

FEBRUARY

2004

JANUARY

2004

ROCK

GALLERY

BACKGROUND ON THE MARS

EXPLORATION ROVERS

Spirit Opportunity

October 1, 2006:

Mars roverSpirit, and

its twin Opportunity,

still are going strong

nearly 1,000 days after

their arrival on Mars.

Spirithas traveled 3.7

miles. The rovers can

move about 44 yards

per day. The two rovers

are working on

opposite sides of the

planet. Along theirway, they have come

October 1, 2006:

Mars rover

Opportunity has

arrived at Victoria

Crater and begun

examining the layered

rocks in cliffs ringing

the massive

depression.

So far, during nearly

1,000 days on Mars,

Opportunity haslogged 5.7 miles and
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The amount of solar

energy available to

power the rover drops

dramatically during the

short winter days. To

generate enough

electricity to run its

heaters overnight to

protect its electronics,

Spirit's solar panels are

tilted toward the sun by

parking the rover on a

north-facing slope. The

rover is parked on top

of a small hill named

Low Ridge Haven. Thewinter solstice was

August 8, 2006, Spirit's

923rd martian day of

exploration.

Even so, the rover has

been able to record and

transmit a steady

stream of science data

and images, including a

360-degree, full-colorpanorama of its

surroundings. The

rover also has collected

long-term observations

of the Martian

atmosphere, rocks, and

soils under varying

conditions of sunlight,

temperature, and wind.

The working lives ofrovers Spiritand

Opportunity, were

extended for an

additional year by

NASA. At the same

time, the space agency

funded two more years

of operations from

October 1, 2006, for

Mars Global Surveyor,

which has been

Reconnaissance

Orbiter photographed

the rover and its

surroundings from

orbit above Mars.

Picture: Opportunity at

Victoria Crater

January 25, 2006:

NASA's Mars

Exploration Rover

Opportunity has

completed its second

year of science

operations on the

surface of the RedPlanet and is rolling

on into a third year.

Originally, the six-

wheeled, golf cart

sized robot and its

twin Opportunity were

supposed to work only

three months. It turns

out, however, they

have traveled a total ofseven miles during

two years in a climate

where the average

temperature is way

below zero and where

dust devils fly by at

100 mph.

Back on January 25,

2004, Opportunity

landed in a smallcrater on the dark

Meridiani Planum

plain on the far side of

the planet from the

crater where the rover

Spirithad landed three

weeks earlier on

January 4.

One reason for their

survival is the
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20061006c/rover-color-close-up2-annot_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20061006c/rover-color-close-up2-annot_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20061006c/rover-color-close-up2-annot_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20061006c/rover-color-close-up2-annot_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20061006c/rover-color-close-up2-annot_br2.jpg


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orbiting Mars since

1997, and Mars

Odyssey, orbiting the

Red Planet since 2001.

Meanwhile, NASA's

newest Mars spacecraft

Mars Reconnaissance

Orbiterbegan its

main science phase on

October 1.

On April 23, 2005,

Spiritused its

panoramic camera to

photograph the martian

twilight sky aboveGusev crater. In the

image, the bluish glow

above where the Sun

had just set would be

visible to humans if we

were there, but the

redness of the sky

farther from the sunset

is exaggerated

compared to the

daytime colors of themartian sky.

Picture: martian

twilight sky

January 4, 2006:

NASA's Mars

Exploration Rover

Spirithas completed its

second year of science

operations on the

surface of the RedPlanet and is rolling on

into a third year.

Originally, the six-

wheeled, golf cart sized

robot and its twin

Opportunity were

supposed to work only

three months. It turns

out, however, they

have traveled a total of

presence of recurring

whirlwinds that pass

by from time to time

and blow off the dust

that builds up on their

electricity-generating

solar panels.

So far, Opportunity

has traveled more than

four miles across the

planet surface and sent

home some 58,000

images including rust-

colored surface

panoramas and self-portraits.

Both of the twin

rovers, Spiritand

Opportunity, were

successful in

completing their main

goal uncovering

geological evidence

that water flowed on

Mars sometime in thepast.

Opportunity was first

to discover evidence

left behind in ancient

times that Meridiani

Planum was soaked

repeatedly with liquid

water.

Shortly after it landed,Opportunity sent home

a panoramic image of

the crater where it had

ended up after

touching down on the

reddish surface. The

photo exposed an

outcrop of layered

rock Martian bedrock

the first of many

rocky layers it would
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seven miles during two

years in a climate

where the average

temperature is way

below zero and where

dust devils fly by at

100 mph.

Back on January, 4

2004, Spiritlanded in

the rocky, 90-mile-

wide Gusev Crater

south of the Martian

equator on the far side

of the planet from the

plain where the roverOpportunity would

land three weeks later

on January 25.

One reason for their

survival is the presence

of recurring whirlwinds

that pass by from time

to time and blow off

the dust that builds up

on their electricity-generating solar panels.

So far, Spirit has driven

more than three miles

and sent home some

70,000 images

including rust-colored

planet surface

panoramas and self-

portraits.

Both of the twin rovers,

Spiritand Opportunity,

were successful in

completing their main

goal uncovering

geological evidence

that water flowed on

Mars sometime in the

past.

Spiritfound evidence

come across while

exploring Meridiani.

Cross-bedding layers

in some rocks left

distinct ripple curves

in some of the rock

outcrops at Meridiani.

Bead-like objects,

which came to be

known as blueberries,

were pellets of

hematite, a mineral

that forms in water. A

rock was found

containing sodiumchloridecommonly

known as table salt

which forms only

when water has been

present. Scientists said

the area was soaked

over and over in

ancient times.

In its third year,

Opportunity isbeginning to show

signs of wear as it

heads off toward a

distant half-mile-wide

depression that JPL

controllers call

Victoria Crater.

Movie: Dust devils

sweep the Martian

surface

February 20, 2005:

During almost 14

months on Mars,

Opportunity has

driven a total of 1.74

miles (2,801 meters)

between its landing on

January 25, 2004, and

its 383rd martian day

(sol 383 or Feb. 20). A

map drawn on an
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that water had flowed

among rocks at Gusev

Crater.

The rover completed a

tough climb to the top

of Husband Hill despite

concerns it might not

survive the harsh

weather. The hill is

taller than the Capitol

Building in

Washington, D.C. (287

feet) and about the

height of the Statue of

Liberty (305 feet). Ifyou stacked up 725

cans of Pepsi, you

would have the height

of the soaring summit

of Husband Hill.

In its third year, Spirit

is beginning to show

signs of wear as it

heads off toward

rugged terrain south ofthe Columbia Hills

referred to by JPL

controllers as "the

promised land".

Movie: Dust devils

sweep the Martian

surface

February 20, 2005:

During almost 14

months on Mars, Spirithas driven a total of

2.57 miles (4,143

meters) from the time it

landed on January 4,

2004, and its 404th

martian day (sol 404 on

Feb. 20). A map drawn

on an image recorded

by NASA's Mars

Global Surveyor

orbiting spacecraft

image recorded by

NASA's Mars Global

Surveyor orbiting

spacecraft shows the

course the rover drove

during that time. Now,

the rover is driving

from Endurance Crater

toward targets farther

south.

Map: Opportunity's

383-day journey

January 26, 2005:

Opportunity is leaving

the home it has knownfor more than 200

Martian days. The

rover spent 181 days

(sols) inside

Endurance Crater,

where it had landed in

January 2004,

furthering human

knowledge of the

ancient waters of

Mars. Aftercompleting that work,

Opportunity spent 25

days investigating the

heat shield that had

protected it on its way

down to the surface of

Mars. Now,

Opportunity is heading

south toward a small

crater named Argo.

Picture: looking backacross the plain

January 24, 2005:

Opportunity

completed a year (one

Earth year) on Mars.

The rover continues to

be in excellent health

as it drives across the

plains of Meridiani

toward a small crater
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shows the course the

rover has driven during

that time. Now, the

rover is approaching a

ridge overlooking

Tennessee Valley on

the north flank of

Husband Hill in Gusev

Crater.

Map: Spirit's 404-day

journey

February 15, 2005:

Spiritused its

navigation camera to

capture the view aheadduring the rover's 399th

martian day. That's sol

399 or Feb. 15. The

drive uphill that day

toward Larry's Lookout

didn't go so well

because the rover's

wheels slipped and

churned the soil on the

slope. Spirittook the

moment to turn itsalpha particle X-ray

spectrometer on the

churned soil to see

what it might contain.

Originally, Spiritwas

supposed to have

worked only 90 sols on

Mars.

Picture: looking up to

Larry's Lookout

January 25, 2005:

Spirithas been

studying Pearce, which

possibly is the most

important rock it has

examined so far on

Mars. The rover came

across the exposed

bedrock on the elevated

land known as

Columbia Hills in

called Argo. The twin

rovers from Earth

completed their

primary three-month

missions on Mars in

April 2004. NASA has

extended their

missions twice since

then because the

rovers have remained

in good condition and

are able to continue

exploring Mars.

During their first year

on the Red Planet, the

rovers foundgeological evidence of

wet environments that

might have been

hospitable to life

sometime in the past.

Picture: Opportunity's

tracks

January 21, 2005:

Opportunity found a

pitted, basketball-sizeiron and nickel

meteorite, the first

meteorite ever seen on

another planet. Very

few meteorites that

have fallen on Earth

are similar in

composition. The JPL

team named the

meteorite Heat Shield

Rock becauseOpportunityfound it

near the debris of the

lander's heat shield on

the surface of

Meridiani Planum, the

cratered plain that has

been the rover's base

for the last year. The

rover's Moessbauer

and alpha particle X-

ray spectrometers
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8/27

Gusev Crater. Pearce

has clear signs of

having been altered by

water in the past.

Analysis shows the

rock contains more

sulphate salt than any

other rock Spirit has

examined. When the

rock was penetrated by

the rover's abrasion

tool (RAT), the salt

was present deep

inside. Sulphur and

magnesium could have

formed magnesiumsulphate. The rock also

contains the minerals

magnetite, olivine and

pyroxene. Where did

the salt come from?

Liquid water with

magnesium sulphate

salt dissolved in it,

percolating through the

rock, then evaporating

and leaving the saltbehind. Or, from

weathering by dilute

sulphuric acid reacting

with magnesium-rich

minerals already in the

rock. Either way, the

process would have

involved water.

Picture: Pearce rock

January 24, 2005:Spiritis in healthy

condition and has


miles around the inside

of Gusev Crater.

Currently, it is

investigating Peace

rock near the top of

Cumberland Ridge.

Picture: Wishstone

rock

confirmed the

meteorite's metallic

composition.

Opportunity has


miles around

Meridiani Planum.

The JPL rover drivers

soon will take

Opportunity south

toward a circular

feature called Vostok.

Picture: meteorite on

Mars

January 6, 2005:

Opportunity has

discovered the first

meteorite ever seen on

Mars. The pitted rock

was found near the

rover's heat shield

lying on Meridiani

Planum. The rover's

Mini-Thermal

EmissionSpectrometer (Mini-

TES) revealed the

pitted, basketball-size

object is mostly iron

and nickel, which

showed it did not

originate on Martian.

Opportunity used its

Mssbauer and alpha

particle X-ray

spectrometers toconfirm the rock was

not Martian. Meridiani

Planum is the cratered

plain on which

Opportunity landed.

Picture: non-Martian

meteorite

January 3, 2005:

Opportunity soon will

have been working on
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9/27

January 3, 2005:

Spirithas been working

on Mars for a full year,

having arrived there on

the wind-swept rock-

strewn surface of

Gusev Crater on

January 3, 2004.

The planned 90-day

mission for each of the

rovers has been

extended twice.

Opportunity and Spirit

are likely to keep onworking for some time

now that they have

passed successfully

through the Martian

winter. Presumably, the

coming spring season

will be easier.

The rovers used their

geology tools during

their first year touncover direct evidence

that the Red Planet

once had liquid water.

For instance, Spirit

discovered in the

bedrock of Gusev

Crater a mineral called

goethite, which forms

only in the presence of

water. That means

Mars once may havehad the conditions

necessary for life.

Story: One Year on

Mars

Flash: One Year on

Mars

January 1, 2005:

Spiritis exploring

rocks rich in

phosphorus in the

Mars for a full year,

having arrived on

January 24, 2004, on

Meridiani Planum on

the opposite side of

Mars some 6,600

miles away from

where Spirit had

landed 21 days earlier.

The planned 90-day

mission for each of the

rovers has been

extended twice.


are likely to keep onworking for some time

now that they have

passed successfully

through the Martian

winter. Presumably,

the coming spring

season will be easier.

The rovers used their

geology tools during

their first year touncover direct

evidence that the Red

Planet once had liquid

water. For instance,

Opportunity found on

the Meridiani Planum

the iron sulphate

mineral jarosite, which

suggests there once

was an acidic lake

there. That meansMars once may have

had the conditions

necessary for life.

Story: One Year on

Mars

Flash: One Year on

Mars

January 1, 2005:

Opportunity is on the

plain near the
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10/27

Columbia Hills in

Gusev Crater. Could

the rocks have been the

result of a meteoroid

impact or a volcano

eruption?

October 7, 2004:

Spiritis climbing

higher into the

Columbia Hills, after

driving more than two

miles across a plain to

reach them. After

finding bedrock that

had been extensivelyaltered by water, the

rover was searching for

relatively unchanged

rocks for comparison.

However, the fresh

rocks examined in the

Columbia Hills have

shown signs of

pervasive water

alteration. No unaltered

volcanic rock has beenfound since the rover

crossed the boundary

from plain to hills. All

the rocks in the hills

have been altered

significantly by water.

More clues to the

environmental history

of the hills may lie in

layered rock outcrops

farther up the slope.Picture: Tetl rock layer

September 21, 2004:

Spirithas received a

new six-month lease on

life. NASA extended

its budget for the

rover's Mars operations

after the robot explorer

resumed reliable

contact with Earth after

heatshield that

protected it a year ago

as it descended

through the Martian

atmosphere. The JPL

team is noting how

deeply atmospheric

friction charred the

protective surface

layer. The information

will be used to

improve protection of

future landers. The

next lander to be sent

by NASA will be the

Phoenix laboratory in2007. Before that, the

next spacecraft to be

sent to the Red Planet

by the U.S. space

agency will be the

Mars Reconnaissance

Orbiterto be launched

in August 2005.

More about: Phoenix

More about: Mars

Recon Orbiter

December 28, 2004:

Opportunity snapped

an impressive picture

of the site where its

heat shield smacked

into the surface of

Mars on January 25,

2004. The mosaic

image set was

recorded by the roveron sol 330 (Dec. 28)

as the rover was

investigating the site

south of Endurance

Crater. On the left, the

main heat shield piece

is upside down

showing its metallic

insulation layer

glinting in the

sunlight. The main
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11/27

Mars passed nearly

behind the Sun. The

rover was not driven

during the 12-day

period when radio

transmissions were

unreliable because of

the Sun's position

between Mars and

Earth. Spirit

successfully completed

its primary three-month

mission on the surface

of Mars in April and

has been working five

months into its firstmission extension.

Spiritis partway up the

west spur of the

Columbia Hills

highlands, more than

two miles from its

original landing site.

Picture: Spirit's 238-

day trek

September 1, 2004:Spirithas explored for

more than four months

beyond its original

three-month mission on

Mars. The rover's rock

abrasion tool has been

used nine times to

grind into rocks and 28

times to brush rocks.

That's a lot more than

the criteria forsuccessful use of the

abrasion tools

established before the

trip to Mars, which was

to grind at least one

rock.

Picture: Toltecs rocks

August 25, 2004:

While the rover

Opportunity actually

piece stands about

about 3.3 feet tall and

is about 43 feet from

the rover. The other

large, flat piece of

debris near the center

of the image is about

about 46 feet away.

The circular feature on

the right side of the

image is the crater

made by the heat

shield's impact. It is

about 9.2 feet in

diameter but only

about 2 to 4 inchesdeep. The crater is

about 20 feet from

Opportunity in this

view. Smaller

fragments and debris

can be seen strewn

around the impact site.

The impact excavated

a large amount of

reddish subsurface

material. Darkermaterials cover part of

the crater's flat floor

and have formed a

streak or jet of

material pointing

toward the two largest

heat shield fragments.

Picture: impressive

impact

October 7, 2004:Opportunity has been

exploring Mars three

times as long as

originally scheduled.

The more the rover

pokes around, the

more evidence it finds

of past liquid water on

Mars. Opportunity

established six months

ago that the are it is
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12/27

had landed beside

exposed bedrock and

promptly found

evidence of an ancient

body of saltwater, it

tookSpirithalf a year

of driving across the

martian plain from

where it landed to

reach bedrock in Gusev

Crater. Now, Spirit's

inspection of the rock

outcrop Clovis on a hill

30 feet above the plain

suggests that water

may once have beenactive there. The rock

is very soft unlike the

basaltic rocks on the

plain of Gusev Crater.

On-the-spot analysis

with the alpha particle

X-ray spectrometer

revealed relatively high

levels of bromine,

sulfur and chlorine

inside the rock.Interaction with liquid

water changed the

composition of the

rock. Out on the plain,

Spirithad found

coatings and veins on

the rocks, which

probably meant they

were affected by small

amounts of water. In

the bedrock, thealterations are a great

deal deeper, which

suggested much more

water had been there in

ages past.

Picture: Clovis

August 20, 2004:

Spirithas turned up

additional evidence of

water that may once

exploring was wet a

long time ago. The

ancient wet area dried

and eroded into a wide

plain. The rover is

finding that some of

the old rocks may

have become wet a

second time, after an

impact excavated a

crater the size of a

stadium. A flat rock

known as Escher and

some of its neighbors

near the bottom of the

crater have networksof cracks dividing the

surface into patterns of

polygons. They look

like cracked mud on

Earth after water has

dried up. On the other

hand, they may have

been fractured by the

impact that caused the

crater. The rover may

uncover an answer inthe lumpy boulder

Wopmay where it is

headed. Finding

geological evidence

for watery periods in

Mars' past is the

rover's main goal.

Scientists say

persistently wet

environments may

have been hospitableto life. Where would

moisture come from?

It might have

accumulated as frost,

which could have

melted partially during

climate changes when

Mars wobbled on its

axis of rotation in

cycles of tens of

thousands of years. On
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13/27

have washed and

altered the rocks where

it is on Mars. Atop the

Clovis outcrop of

Columbia Hills, the

rover has seen physical

signs of modification

by water and sniffed

out chemical

indications that liquid

water changed the

composition of rock.

Clovis is bedrock in the

Columbia Hills 30 feet

above the Gusev Crater

plain. The NASA JPLteam thinks an ancient

lava flow covered most

evidence of a lake long

gone from the plain.

Down on the plain,

Spirithad seen rocks

with coatings and veins

representing the after-

effect of a small

amount of water. Up on

the outcrop, the roverencountered deeper and

more widespread

changes, suggesting

more water. The rock

on the outcrop was

very soft rock, unlike

the basaltic rocks down

on the plain. The

rover's Alpha Particle

X-ray Spectrometer

(APXS) instrument onthe rover's robotic arm

recorded relatively high

levels of bromine,

sulphur and chlorine in

the rock - a chemical

signature suggestive of

alteration by water. At

their highest elevation,

the Columbia Hills rise

300 feet above the

plain. Spiritis working

the other hand,

underground ice may

have melted or there

may have been liquid

underground water in

large enough quantity

to form a small lake in

the crater. After

sniffing around

Wopmay, the rover

will move on to a tall

stack of rock layers

known as Burns Cliff.

That's where the rover

may find a way to

climb out of the craterand head south toward

the spacecraft's

original heat shield

and nearby rugged

terrain, where deeper

rock layers may be

exposed.

Picture: Wopmay

'brain' rock

Picture: Opportunity

escape plan

September 21, 2004:

NASA will operate

Opportunity on Mars

for another six

months. The space

agency extended its

budget for the robot

explorations after the

rover resumed radio

contact with Earthafter the Red Planet

passed nearly behind

the Sun. Opportunity

was not driven during

12 days when radio

signals were unreliable

because the Sun was

between Earth and

Mars. The golf-cart

size rover successfully

completed its primary
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14/27

well as the Mars season

moves into winter.

Picture: hole drilled in

Clovis

June 18, 2004:

Completing a two-

month trip across the

martian plain, Spirit

began exploring the

Columbia Hills, which

rise 300 feet above the

plain. The rover's

drivers back on Earth at

JPL are plotting the

best route forSpirittoclimb the front hill they

call West Spur. A

direct path straight up

the center may be too

steep for the rover to

climb safely. The JPL

team plans to keep

Spiritaround Columbia

Hills for some time, so

they may drive it

around to the innerbasin in the hills. Data

from the orbiting Mars

Global Surveyor were

used to create a digital

3-D color elevation

map shows the

topography of

Columbia Hills facing

the rover. Differing

colors indicate the

slopes of the hills, withred areas being the

gentlest and blue the

steepest. The blue area

dead ahead may be too

steep for the rover to

climb.

Picture: colorful

topography

June 15, 2004: Near

the base of Columbia

three-month mission

on the surface of Mars

in April and has been

working five months

into its first mission

extension. Opportunity

is inside the stadium-

size Endurance Crater,

driving toward a stack

of exposed rocks

known as Burns Cliff.

There, it may find an

exit route from the

south side of the

crater.

Picture: Earhart rockPicture: Opportunity's

205-day trek

September 1, 2004:

Opportunity resumed

using its rock abrasion

tool (RAT) after a

pebble fell out. It had

been jamming the

tool's rotors for two

weeks. Jostling of therover's movements

shook it loose. The

RAT was put to use,

scrubbing dust off of a

rock inside Endurance

Crater. Then, the tool's

grinding rotor cut a

hole exposing the

interior of the rock.

Picture: the rock

Escher

August 25, 2004:

Opportunity has

explored for four

months beyond its

original three-month

mission on Mars. The

rover's rock abrasion

tool has been used 18

times to grind into

rocks and five times to
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040820a/sol_a217_rathole_plano-A223R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040820a/sol_a217_rathole_plano-A223R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040820a/sol_a217_rathole_plano-A223R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/10-LS-07-Slope-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/10-LS-07-Slope-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/10-LS-07-Slope-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/10-JG-02-Earhart-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/10-JG-02-Earhart-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040921a/Endurance_traverse_205-B235R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040921a/Endurance_traverse_205-B235R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040921a/Endurance_traverse_205-B235R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/07-SS2-02-Escher-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/07-SS2-02-Escher-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/07-SS2-02-Escher-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/07-SS2-02-Escher-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/07-SS2-02-Escher-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040921a/Endurance_traverse_205-B235R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040921a/Endurance_traverse_205-B235R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20041007a/10-JG-02-Earhart-B251R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/10-LS-07-Slope-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/10-LS-07-Slope-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040820a/sol_a217_rathole_plano-A223R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040820a/sol_a217_rathole_plano-A223R1_br.jpg


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Hills in Gusev Crater,

Spiritphotographed an

unusual rock covered

with nodules. The JPL

team named the bumpy

rock Pot of Gold.

Picture: Pot of Gold

rock


close up


and rotten rocks

June 11, 2004: Spirit

photographed some

odd rocks the JPL teamcalled Cobra Hoods.

The resistant rocks

were not like anything

seen before by Spiriton

Mars.

Animation: Cobra

Hoods

The rover also snapped

pictures of a collection

of rocks that resemble

rotting loaves of bread.Their insides appear to

have been eroded,

while their outer rinds

remain intact.

Picture: loaves of bread

rocks

June 7, 2004: The

JPL team controlling

Spiritfrom Earth use

Plymouth Rock as aguide to maneuver

Spirit closer to

Columbia Hills.

Plymouth Rock is 20

inches tall and 35

inches across.

Plymouth probably is

basalt like most of the

rocks at Gusev crater.

Tiny pits in the rock's

surface indicate its

brush rocks. That's a

lot more than the

criteria for successful

use of the abrasion

tools established

before the trip to

Mars, which was to

grind at least one rock.

Picture: Manitoba is a

grindstone

August 20, 2004:

Opportunity has now

completed a transect

through layers of rock

exposed in thesouthern inner slope of

the 425-ft.-wide

Endurance Crater on

the Meridiani Planum.

A transect is a line on

the ground along

which observations are

made and samples are

collected at intervals.

The rocks examined

by the rover rangedfrom outcrops near the

rim down through

progressively older

layers to the lowest

accessible outcrop,

called Axel Heiberg.

The concentration of

chlorine in the outcrop

tripled in the rock's

middle layers. On the

other hand, the amountof magnesium and

sulphur declined in

older layers. That

suggested to the

NASA JPL team that

those two elements

may have dissolved

and been removed by

water. Blueberries are

tiny spheres, called

concretions, made of
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/04-LS-01-Pot-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/04-LS-01-Pot-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/04-LS-01-Pot-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/05-LS-02-Close-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/05-LS-02-Close-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/05-LS-02-Close-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/SolA_158_P2594_L257_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/SolA_158_P2594_L257_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/SolA_158_P2594_L257_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/fragile2.gifhttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/fragile2.gifhttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/fragile2.gifhttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/06-LS-03-Rotten-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/06-LS-03-Rotten-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/06-LS-03-Rotten-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/sol_b152_rathole_grindstone_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/sol_b152_rathole_grindstone_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/sol_b152_rathole_grindstone_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/sol_b152_rathole_grindstone_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/sol_b152_rathole_grindstone_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/06-LS-03-Rotten-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/06-LS-03-Rotten-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/fragile2.gifhttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/fragile2.gifhttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/SolA_158_P2594_L257_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/SolA_158_P2594_L257_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/05-LS-02-Close-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/05-LS-02-Close-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/04-LS-01-Pot-A160R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040615a/04-LS-01-Pot-A160R1_br.jpg


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volcanic origin.

Picture: Plymouth

Rock

June 3, 2004: Spirit

started June with some

trenching in the soil,

panoramic

photography, and

driving. It continues to

rove across the martian

surface toward

Columbia Hills. The

rover has logged a total

of 1.65 miles on its

odometer since it leftthe lander in January.

Currently, it's about 0.4

miles from Columbia

Hills. It should reach

the hills in July.

Picture: Columbia Hills

on June 2

Picture: hillside

boulders

Picture: Twin Peaks

Picture: Columbia Hillsfrom orbit


panorama

May 17, 2004: Spirit

continues its long drive

toward Columbia Hills.

The rover has logged a

total of 1.4 miles on its

odometer. At its

present position, it isabout 0.6 miles from

Columbia Hills. It

should reach the hills in

a month or so.


on May 7

April 23, 2004: Spirit

peeked inside and

around Missoula Crater

with its mini thermal

the iron-bearing

mineral grey hematite.

They abundant on

Meridiani Planum.

The blueberries may

have been formed by

water action. The

blueberries in the Axel

Heiberg outcrop have

a rougher texture and

are more variable in

size than others seen

eslewhere by the

rover. The JPL team

suggested they look

more like popcornthan berries. They are

the same colour as the

rock, rather than grey

like blueberries. The

rover may drill into a

rock called Jiffypop.

Picture: Endurance

Crater dunes

August 4, 2004: The

European SpaceAgency's orbiterMars

Express relayed to

Earth pictures from

the surface sent up by

Opportunity. The

interplanetary

networking was a

demonstration of

international

cooperation in space

research. MarsExpress was about 870

miles overhead when

it received a collection

of 15 images of

Endurance Crater from

the rover's nine

cameras. The relay to

Earth was received at

ESAs European

Space Operations

Centre in Darmstadt,
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040610a/sol_152_plymouth-A155R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040610a/sol_152_plymouth-A155R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040610a/sol_152_plymouth-A155R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/01-JR-01-husband-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/01-JR-01-husband-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/01-JR-01-husband-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/04-JR-04-outcrop-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/04-JR-04-outcrop-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/04-JR-04-outcrop-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/02-JR-02-twinPeaks-A147R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/02-JR-02-twinPeaks-A147R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040521a/x_pubeng_3DColumbiaHillsSouth-A136R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040521a/x_pubeng_3DColumbiaHillsSouth-A136R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040521a/x_pubeng_3DColumbiaHillsSouth-A136R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040528a/Sol131A_Hills_P2434_L256-A143R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040528a/Sol131A_Hills_P2434_L256-A143R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040528a/Sol131A_Hills_P2434_L256-A143R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040510a/x_pubeng_Sol_122_Drive_Dir_IFF-A123R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040510a/x_pubeng_Sol_122_Drive_Dir_IFF-A123R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040510a/x_pubeng_Sol_122_Drive_Dir_IFF-A123R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/07-OSS-02-Dunes-B202R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/07-OSS-02-Dunes-B202R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/07-OSS-02-Dunes-B202R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/07-OSS-02-Dunes-B202R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040818a/07-OSS-02-Dunes-B202R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040510a/x_pubeng_Sol_122_Drive_Dir_IFF-A123R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040510a/x_pubeng_Sol_122_Drive_Dir_IFF-A123R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040528a/Sol131A_Hills_P2434_L256-A143R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040528a/Sol131A_Hills_P2434_L256-A143R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040521a/x_pubeng_3DColumbiaHillsSouth-A136R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040521a/x_pubeng_3DColumbiaHillsSouth-A136R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/02-JR-02-twinPeaks-A147R1_br2.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/04-JR-04-outcrop-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/04-JR-04-outcrop-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/01-JR-01-husband-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040602a/01-JR-01-husband-A147R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040610a/sol_152_plymouth-A155R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040610a/sol_152_plymouth-A155R1_br.jpg


17/27

emission spectrometer

and navigation and

panoramic cameras.

The rover also used the

panoramic camera to

photograph objects

named Gratteri Piazza,

Wallula Gap, and Clark

Fork. The rover then

drove 242 feet around a

sandy hollow to the

east of Missoula and

then southeast toward

Columbia Hills. The

total distance for the

day was 0.6 miles.Picture: closing in on

Columbia Hills


has rolled to within 1.5

miles of its destination,

the highlands named

Columbia Hills. The

hills may consist of

older rocks different

from the basalts therover has analyzed.


closer


used its rock abrasion

tool (RAT) to brush

dust from the rock

Route 66 creating a

daisy-shaped pattern of

circles. Such brushingscreate a clear place for

the rover's miniature

thermal emission

spectrometer to

analyze. The last place

the rover did this was

on the rock Mazatzal.

The JPL team suggests

Route 66 and Mazatzal

have different kinds of

dust coatings because

Germany. From there,

it was sent on to the

Mars Exploration

Rover team at NASA's

Jet Propulsion

Laboratory at

Pasadena, California.

Previously, Mars

Express had tracked a

beacon signal from the

roverSpiriton August

3 and 6 when the

orbiter was about

3,700 miles above the

surface. That

demonstrated acapability for locating

another craft during

critical events such as

rendezvous or landing.

Usually, the NASA

orbiters Mars Odyssey

and Mars Global

Surveyor relay


data to Earth.

Picture: the relayedimage

July 1, 2004:

Opportunity started

July down inside

Endurance Crater

collecting science

data, drilling into

rocks and shooting

photos. Exaggerated

colors in some of thethe images help

scientists understand

the composition and

texture of the rocks.

One photo exposed the

tailings left when three

holes were drilled in

Endurance Crater

rocks by the rover's

rock abrasion tool.

The rocks are London
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18/27

their brushed areas

looks different.

Picture: daisy on Route

66

April 8, 2004: Spirit's

mission on the surface

of Mars has been

extended for five

months by NASA. The

first of the two rovers

to land on the Red

Planet, Spirit

successfully completed

its prime mission on

April 3 and 5 when itexceeded 1,969 feet

(600 meters) of total

driving distance and

completed 90 martian

days (sols) operating

on the surface. The

extended period of

work will continue into

September.

Picture: map of Spirit's

travelNASA constructed a

map showing Spirit's

travel over 90 days.

The map overlays an

image recorded by a

descent camera seconds

before Spiritlanded

three months ago.

Spirit still is sitting on

material ejected from

the 492-foot BonnevilleCrater. That ejecta is

white in the overhead

photo. Spiritis on its

way to the Columbia

Hills to the east.

Picture: route ahead to

Columbia Hills

The rover has stopped

to investigate a rock

named Route 66 with

its Moessbauer and

(top), Virginia

(middle), and Cobble

Hill (bottom). The top

rock layers are

yellowish red, the

middle are yellowish

green, and the lower

are green.

Picture: stretched

colors

June 23, 2004: One

of the areas

photographed by

Opportunity's

microscopic imager inEndurance Crater was

the finely-laminated

rock named Cobble

Hill.

Picture: Cobble Hill

June 22, 2004:

Opportunity images

collected for a mosaic

showing the area it is

studying insideEndurance Crater

showed distinct layers

of rock defined by

subtle color and

texture variations. The

deeper the layer, the

farther back in time

the rocks were formed.

The top layers are rich

in sulfate, like the

rocks observed by therover earlier in Eagle

Crater.

Picture: Endurance

Crater mosaic

June 18, 2004:

Opportunity drove 16

feet down into

Endurance Crater,

stopping to investigate

a flat rock named
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040416a/x_pubeng_Sol100A_P2544_L567-A102R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040416a/x_pubeng_Sol100A_P2544_L567-A102R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040416a/x_pubeng_Sol100A_P2544_L567-A102R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/09-RA-01-panondimes-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/09-RA-01-panondimes-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/09-RA-01-panondimes-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/08-JT-03-easthills-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/08-JT-03-easthills-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/08-JT-03-easthills-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040701a/Sol150B_P2575_L257_DCS-B156R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040701a/Sol150B_P2575_L257_DCS-B156R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040701a/Sol150B_P2575_L257_DCS-B156R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--05-Tosca_1MM142ILF31PER90P2907M222M1_SG-B147R1-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--05-Tosca_1MM142ILF31PER90P2907M222M1_SG-B147R1-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--04-SolB_134_P2372_L257-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--04-SolB_134_P2372_L257-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--04-SolB_134_P2372_L257-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--04-SolB_134_P2372_L257-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--04-SolB_134_P2372_L257-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040625a/999--05-Tosca_1MM142ILF31PER90P2907M222M1_SG-B147R1-B150R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040701a/Sol150B_P2575_L257_DCS-B156R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040701a/Sol150B_P2575_L257_DCS-B156R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/08-JT-03-easthills-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/08-JT-03-easthills-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/09-RA-01-panondimes-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040408a/09-RA-01-panondimes-A094R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040416a/x_pubeng_Sol100A_P2544_L567-A102R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040416a/x_pubeng_Sol100A_P2544_L567-A102R1_br.jpg


19/27

alpha particle X-ray

spectrometers.

Picture: the rock Route

66


has nine cameras, as

does its rover twin,

Opportunity. Together,

their 18 cameras have

sent home to Earth

more than 20,000

images to date. As

Spiritdrove away from

Bonneville Crater on

the way to ColumbiaHills, the rover

recorded its last

panoramic camera

image from the rim of

the crater. From that

high point, the rover

had an excellent view

of the rock-strewn path

it had crossed. The

lander could be seen

1,060 feet away fromthe rover in the upper

right portion of the

photo. Grissom Hill

was on the horizon.

Picture: Goodbye,

Bonneville


and its rover twin,

Opportunity, ended the

month of March 2004by preparing to enter a

new phase of martian

exploration. In April,

the prime three-month

missions ofSpirit's and

Opportunity will end

and their extended

missions will begin.

Picture: artist's idea of

roving Mars

NASA's Jet Propulsion

Tennessee, which may

have been made of the

same water-lain,

evaporite-rich

materials as those the

rover found back in

Eagle Crater where

Opportunity landed.

The rover used the

rock abrasion tool to

drill into Tennessee

for a look at its inner

mineral composition.

The grind was the

deepest drilling so far

by Opportunity. Thehole took 2 hours and

4 minutes to complete

to a depth of 0.32

inches. The previous

record was a 0.28-

inch-deep hole drilled

in the rock Pilbara in

Fram Crater back in

April. Opportunity

continues to

investigatingEndurance Crater.

Picture: Tennessee

hole

June 3, 2004:

Opportunity started

June on the edge of

Endurance Crater

shooting panoramic

photos and resting to

recharge its battery. Ina June 2 image of

Endurance Crater,

false-colors show

various minerals along

the rim of the impact

crater. The image used

all 13 color filters in

the rover's panoramic

camera. Cyan blue

denotes basalts. Dark

green is a mixture of
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20/27

Laboratory at

Pasadena, California,

built the Mars cruisers

to rove across the

landscape for 90

martian days. A

martian day, known as

a sol, lasts about 40

minutes longer than a

day on Earth. Because

both rovers are healthy

as they approach the

end of their 90-day

assignment, and

probably will be able to

operate for severaladditional months, JPL

plans to extend their

assignments.

Picture: MGS map of

ancient ocean

When Spiritlanded

inside the 95-mile-wide

Gusev Crater 12 weeks

ago, its main

assignment was to find

geological clues aboutwhether the region ever

had a wet environment.

Picture: Gusev Crater

from above

Spiritspent a good deal

of time driving toward

a 660-foot-wide crater

named Bonneville. The

JPL team had thought

the impact eons ago

that excavatedBonneville Crater

might have ejected

rocks old enough to

hold clues about

whether Gusev held

water.

Picture: Bonneville

Crater

Unfortunately, the

object that struck

Bonneville didn't dig in

iron oxide and basalts.

Reds and yellows are

dusty material

containing sulfates.

Picture: mineral colors

Meanwhile, the NASA

JPL team wondered

whether ripples in a

microscopic imager

photo might indicate

the presence of water

in the past.

Picture: water ripples

A panoramic camera

view of the southeast

side of the rim ofEndurance Crater

showed interesting

braided patterns on a

rock named Pyrrho.

Picture: Pyrrho rock

Previously, as it was

traveling to Endurance

Crater back on April

23, Opportunity had

photographed a 26-ft.-

wide impact craternamed Fram on the

Meridian Planum.

Picture: Fram crater

May 18, 2004:

Opportunity continues

to dig down into the

dirt, scuff the top of

the soil and cruise

around the edge of

Endurance Crater. Therover is healthy, but its

battery is a bit run

down. It tarried a bit

today for a time of

solar recharging.

Earlier, the rover take

a close look at a rock

called Lion Stone. The

rock is about four

inches tall and 12

inches long.
http://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MGS_AncientOceansMars.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MGS_AncientOceansMars.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MGS_AncientOceansMars.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/GusevCraterNASA.jpeghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/GusevCraterNASA.jpeghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/GusevCraterNASA.jpeghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040312a/x_pubeng_Bonneville-A068R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040312a/x_pubeng_Bonneville-A068R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040312a/x_pubeng_Bonneville-A068R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/13-WC-02-pan-B127R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/13-WC-02-pan-B127R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/500--03-pyrrho_mi_mosaic-B127R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/500--03-pyrrho_mi_mosaic-B127R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/500--mi-B127R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/500--mi-B127R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040526a/Sol88B_P2285_Fram_L257-B120R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040526a/Sol88B_P2285_Fram_L257-B120R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040526a/Sol88B_P2285_Fram_L257-B120R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/500--mi-B127R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/500--03-pyrrho_mi_mosaic-B127R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040602a/13-WC-02-pan-B127R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040312a/x_pubeng_Bonneville-A068R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040312a/x_pubeng_Bonneville-A068R1_br.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/GusevCraterNASA.jpeghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/GusevCraterNASA.jpeghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MGS_AncientOceansMars.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MGS_AncientOceansMars.jpg


21/27

deep enough to get

below the volcanic

layer. So, after

finishing its work on

the crater's rim, the

rover headed for the

hills. Today, Spirithas

left Bonneville Crater

behind and is trekking

southeast across the

plain toward Columbia

Hills, a range of peaks

which seem to be an

island of older rock

atop a surrounding

layer of youngervolcanic surface

material.

Picture: looking toward

Columbia Hills

Geologists think older

rocks may hold

evidence of an ancient

body of water they

suspect once filled

Gusev Crater. On the

way from BonnevilleCrater to Columbia

Hills, the rover will

stop from time to time

to inspect small craters

and a dark streak

apparently left by a

whirlwind that

removed dust. The

distance to Columbia

Hills is about 1.3 miles.

It will take the rover60-90 days (sols) to

make the trip.

Picture: Spirit tracks

Gusev Crater

Picture: Lion Stone

April 22, 2004:

Opportunity broke its

own record for the

deepest hole ground in

a rock on another

planet with a 0.28-inch

grind into the rock

Pilbara. Those now-

famous blueberry

spheres also are

present on this rock,

however they don't

look the same as

blueberries seenearlier. These

blueberries sit on

stems, which make

them seem like golf

balls on tees. The left

side of the rock is

relatively free of

berries.

Picture: the rock

Pilbara

April 16, 2004:

Opportunity looked

out across the rippled,

pocked plain toward

its destination,

Endurance Crater. The

plain, blanketed by

grains of various sizes,

seems uniform all the

way to Endurance

Crater. The surface ispaved with larger

grains. Smaller grains

form small dunes,

which include those

spheres called

blueberries, both intact

and broken. Pebbles

about 0.4 inches in

size are a third feature

on the plains. Looking

down from its orbit
http://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/SpiritPix/ColumbiaHillsSpirit1024x576.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/SpiritPix/ColumbiaHillsSpirit1024x576.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/SpiritPix/ColumbiaHillsSpirit1024x576.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040310a/P1878_1883_spirit_navcam-A066R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040310a/P1878_1883_spirit_navcam-A066R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040310a/P1878_1883_spirit_navcam-A066R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040512a/Sol104B_P2577_L256-B107R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040512a/Sol104B_P2577_L256-B107R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040422a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_042104_Pre_RAT_Pilbara-B087R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040422a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_042104_Pre_RAT_Pilbara-B087R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040422a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_042104_Pre_RAT_Pilbara-B087R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040422a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_042104_Pre_RAT_Pilbara-B087R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040422a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_042104_Pre_RAT_Pilbara-B087R1.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040512a/Sol104B_P2577_L256-B107R1_br.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/SolSys/Mars/MarsExploration/MarsSurveyor2003.html#WhenThereWasOnehttp://www.spacetoday.org/SolSys/Mars/MarsExploration/MarsSurveyor2003.html#WhenThereWasOnehttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040310a/P1878_1883_spirit_navcam-A066R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040310a/P1878_1883_spirit_navcam-A066R1_br.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/SpiritPix/ColumbiaHillsSpirit1024x576.jpghttp://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/SpiritPix/ColumbiaHillsSpirit1024x576.jpg


22/27

above Mars, the

Global Surveyor

spacecraft had spotted

hematite, which led

NASA to choose

Meridiani Planum for

Opportunity's landing

site. Along the way to

Endurance, the rover

will stop at a small

crater called Fram.

Picture: the path to

Endurance Crater

April 14, 2004:

Opportunity hasdiscovered that the

rock Bounce it found

on Meridiani Planum

has a mineral

composition similar to

a meteorite found on

Earth in 1979. The

JPL team suggests the

two rocks share a

common origin.

Bounce may haveoriginated somewhere

beyond Opportunity's

landing site. An

impact probably threw

the rock and the

meteorite found on

Earth away from their

original home. That

impact probably threw

the rock, labeled

EETA79001, off Marsand toward Antarctica

on Earth where we

found it and called it a

meteorite. The 17.6-lb.

meteorite was

collected in the

Elephant Moraine on

the continent of

Antarctica. A basalt

lava rock that looks

like most any other
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23/27

rock on Earth, the

meteorite was the first

strong proof that

meteorites could come

from Mars. In a

NASA picture of the

sawn face of the fine-

grained gray rock, the

vertical stripes are saw

marks. The black

patches are melted

rock, or glass, formed

when a large body hit

Mars near the rock.

The black glass

contains traces of thegases in the martian

atmosphere.

Picture: Mars rock on

Earth

April 9, 2004:

Opportunity used its

rock abrasion tool

(RAT) to grind into

the surface of a rock

named Bounce. Therock is 14 inches long

and 4 inches high. The

RAT hole is 0.25 inch

deep and 1.7 inches

across. It took the

RAT 2 hours 15

minutes to cut the

depression circle into

the rock.

Picture: RAT hole in

Bounce

April 8, 2004:

Opportunity's mission

on the surface of Mars

has been extended for

five months by NASA.

The second of the

space agency's twin

rovers to land on the

Red Planet,

Opportunity touched
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040414a/10-BC-02-EarthMarsRock-B079R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040414a/10-BC-02-EarthMarsRock-B079R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040414a/10-BC-02-EarthMarsRock-B079R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040409a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_040704_color_pan_RAT_Bounce-B075R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040409a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_040704_color_pan_RAT_Bounce-B075R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040409a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_040704_color_pan_RAT_Bounce-B075R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040409a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_040704_color_pan_RAT_Bounce-B075R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040409a/_xpe_pubeng_approved_040704_color_pan_RAT_Bounce-B075R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040414a/10-BC-02-EarthMarsRock-B079R1_br.jpghttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040414a/10-BC-02-EarthMarsRock-B079R1_br.jpg


24/27

down three weeks

afterSpiriton Jan. 24

in a small bowl the

JPL team named Eagle

Crater. Opportunity

will complete its

prime mission of

working 90 martian

days (sols) on April

26. Each martian day

(sol) is 40 minutes

longer than an Earth

day. NASA used a

photo taken from orbit

by the Mars Global

Survey

Exploring the Red Planet

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Transcript of Exploring the Red Planet