Friday , Jan. 3 , marked the 10th anniversary since the secure landing of NASA ’s illustrious Spirit rover on theplains of Marson Jan. 3 , 2004 .
Above : A bird’s - eye sight from August 2005 combine a self - portrayal of the space vehicle pack of cards and a bird’s-eye mosaic of the Martian airfoil as viewed by NASA ’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit . Credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / Cornell
Spirit comprises one half of NASA ’s now legendary duad of Mars Exploration Rovers ( MER ) . chance , her twin sis set down , on the paired side ofthe Red Planetthree week later – on Jan. 24 , 2004 . The goal was to “ follow the water ” as a potential enabler for past Martian microbes if they ever existed .
Together , the long - live , golf handcart size robots turn up that earlyMarswas warmand smashed , billions of years ago – a key findingin the hunting for habitat contributory to living beyond Earth .
10 Unsolved Martian Mysteries
A Dramatic Glimpse of Mars as it Appeared 1000000000000 of Years Ago
Exactly a decade ago , the famous robot come through the scorch atmospherical warming of the 6 minute plunge through the thin Martian atmosphere , bounce some two dozen times cocooned inside cushioning airbags , and gradually roll to a halt inside 100 naut mi broad Gusev Crater . It was hump as the “ 6 minute of Terror ” .
The three petaled landing place pad open and Spirit was dramatically conduct in a milepost outcome that will be evermore remembered in the annuls of history because of the innovational scientific discoveries that ensued and the unbelievable longevity of the twins .
This mosaic figure rent on Jan. 4 , 2004 , by the navigation tv camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit , shows a 360 level bird’s-eye horizon of the rover on the surface of Mars . Spirit operated for more than six years after landing in January 2004 for what was planned as a three - month mission . credit rating : NASA / JPL
Before they were launched atop Delta II rocket in the summer of 2003 from Cape Canaveral , the dynamical , solar powered robo duo were expected to last a bare three months – with a ‘ warrantee ’ of 90 Martian Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ( Sols ) .
Either detritus accumulation on the life afford solar panels , an applied science issue or the extremelyharsh Martian environmentwas wait to somehow fire them mercilessly .
In reality , both robots enormously exceeded prospect and amass a huge bonus time of geographic expedition and discovery in numerous prolonged foreign mission phase .
This beautiful scene unwrap a enormous amount of detail in Spirit ’s surround at a billet called “ Winter Haven , ” where the wanderer spent many month park on a due north - facing slope to keep its solar panels indicate toward the sunshine for the wintertime . During this time , it entrance several images to create this high answer aspect . During that prison term , while the rover spent the daylight hours conducting as much scientific research as possible , science squad members assign cozy public figure to rock outcrops , boulder , and patches of soil commemorate exploration sites in Antarctica and the southernmost island of South America . Antarctic floor are places where researchers , like the rovers on Mars , hunker down for the winter in subzero temperatures . During the retiring Martian wintertime , Spirit endured temperature lower than minus 100 academic degree Celsius ( minus 148 stage Fahrenheit ) . reference : NASA / JPL / Cornell
No one foresaw that Martian wind would occasionally pick the solar panel to give them a new term of a contract on life or that the components would miraculously cover operate .
Spirit go the absolutely extremeRed Planet climatefor more than six years .
Opportunity is still roving Mars today , and doing so in rather serious circumstance !
Altogether , Spirit get 4.8 nautical mile ( 7.73 kilometers),that ’s about 12 times more than the original finish set for the mission .
She transmitted over 124,000 paradigm .
After shore in the stale plain stitch , she head for the nearby Columbia Hills some 2 miles aside and ultimately became the first Martian mountain climber , when she surmount Husband Hill and found grounds for the stream of smooth water at the Hillary outcrop .
Spirit acquired this mosaic on Sol 1202 ( May 21 , 2007 ) , while investigating the area east of the elevated plateau get it on as “ Home Plate ” in the “ Columbia Hills . ” The mosaic point an arena of distressed soil , nicknamed “ Gertrude Weise ” by scientist , made by Spirit ’s stuck right-hand front bicycle . The oceanic abyss display a darn of nearly staring silica , with the report of opal . It could have come from either a blistering - spring environs or an environment called a fumarole , in which acidulent , volcanic steam rises through cracks . Either fashion , its shaping involved water , and on Earth , both of these types of preferences pullulate with microbic liveliness . Credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / Cornell
The rovers were not design to mount hills . But finally she scaled 30 degree inclines .
The rover was equipped with a rock grinder named the Rock Abrasion Tool ( RAT ) built by Honeybee Robotics .
Spirit ground the surfaces off 15 sway aim and abrade 92 targets with a encounter to train the fair game for inspection with mass spectrometer and a microscopical imager , according to NASA .
Eventually she drove back down the James Jerome Hill and made even cracking scientific discoveries in the region known as ‘ menage Plate ’ .
Spirit survived three harsh Martian wintertime and only give in to the Antarctic - corresponding temperature when she accidentally became mired in an unseen sand trap driving beside an ancient volcanic feature named ‘ Home Plate ’ that foreclose the solar arrays from generating life giving power to safeguard critical electronic and information processing system part .
In 2007 , Spirit made one of the key discoveries of the delegacy at ‘ Home Plate ’ when her adhere right front wheel churn up a trench of bright Martian grunge that exposed a maculation of nearly pure silica , which was organize in a watery red-hot spring or volcanic environment .
Spirit was heading towards another twain of volcanic objects named ‘ von Braun ’ and ‘ Goddard ’ and came within just a few hundred feetwhen she die in the sand maw .
Spirit , the Mars Rover , forget to give way Before Its Time
Spirit ’s last panorama from Gusev Crater was taken during February 2010 before her expiry from extremely humble temperature during her fourth Martian wintertime . Spirit was just 500 foot from her next science objective – dubbed Von Braun – at center , with Columbia Hills as backcloth . Mosaic Credit : Marco Di Lorenzo/ Kenneth Kremer/ NASA / JPL / Cornell University . Mosaic featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day ( APOD ) on 23 January 2025 – http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110530 . …
Here ’s how the rover ’ principal investigator , Steve Squyres of Cornell University , Ithaca , N.Y. , account some of the fundamental findings in a NASA affirmation , start with what Spirit found after driving from the volcanic crater trading floor where it land into the Columbia mound to the east :
“ In the Columbia Hills , we find compelling evidence of anancient Marsthat was a red-hot , wet , fierce spot , with volcanic explosions , hydrothermal activeness , steam vents — nothing like Mars today .
“ At chance ’s landing site , we found evidence of an other Mars that had acidic groundwater that sometimes get to the Earth’s surface and vaporise away , leaving common salt behind . It was an environment with smooth urine , but very different from the environment that Spirit told us about .
“ When chance got to the rim of Endeavour Crater , we start a whole new deputation . We found gypsum veins and a rich concentration of clay mineral . The cadaver minerals recite us about urine chemistry that was achromatic , instead of acidulent — more friendly for microbial life , if any ever began on Mars . ”
“ Because of the rovers ’ longevity , we fundamentally got four different landing web site for the price of two . ”
Meanwhile , NASA ’s newCuriosity roverjustcelebrated 500 Sols on Marsand isspeeding towards Mount Sharpfrom insideGale Crater – which is about the same size of it as Gusev crater .
https://gizmodo.com/new-years-day-on-mars-1493049503
https://gizmodo.com/why-the-mysterious-gale-crater-is-an-ideal-landing-sit-5867869
And a pair of newly launchedorbiters are streaking to the Red Planet ; NASA ’s MAVEN and India ’s MOM .
And China ’s newYutu lunar roverandChang’e-3 landerare nap through the lunar nighttime until mid - January .
This mail byKen Kremeroriginally seem atUniverse Today . It has been republished with permission . Learn more about Curiosity , MAVEN , MOM , Mars rovers , SpaceX , Orbital Sciences Antares Jan. 8 launch , and more atKen’supcoming presentations
MarsMars roverNASAScienceSpace
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