current rover

Current Rover

Recent Rover Spirit

January 15,2004, the Spirit rover made history as it drove off of its lander at 12:21 a.m.
There was a camera built to the back of the rover. The camera took a picture of the lander which the Spirit rover drove off.
“Spirit is now ready to start mission of exploration and discovery.We have six wheels in the dirt,”spoke Dr. Charles Elachi.
From when Spirit landed in Guser Crater on Jan./3/04 to the time Spirit drove off of its lander, engineers put it through careful steps.Some of the steps were of unfolding, standing up, and checking its surroundings.
“It has taken an incredible effort by an incredible group of people.” said Peter Theisinger, JPL’s Mars Exploration Manager.
“The Spirit rover drove 3 meters in 78 seconds, ending with the back of the rover about 80 centimeters away from the egress ramp,” said Joel Krjewski of JPL.
“There was a great sigh of relief from me,” said the the lead mechanical engineer for the drive off, “We are now on the surface of Mars”.
Spirit was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on June 10, 2003. Now it’s on Mars and its task is to spend the rest of the mission exploring Mars for clues in rocks and soil about weather the past enviorment in Guser Crater was ever watery and if it can sustain life.
Opportunity, Spirit’s twin rover, reached Mars on January 25, to begin a similar examination of a site on the other side of the planet.