August-2004 |
Mission Fantastic to Mars |
|
This is a five-part series covering the experiences of key participants in the Mars Exploration Rover mission.
Part 1 - August 10
Part 2 - August 16
Part 3 - August 26
Part 4 - August 31
Part 5 is coming up...
|
|
|
09-Aug-2004 |
Endless Summer? |
|
Both Mars Exploration Rovers are fighters, beating the count a handful of times on Earth and on Mars. Having flown in the face of "old age" and impending demise, Spirit and Opportunity might also be able to resist the reduction of direct sunlight and Mother Nature’s minions of martian winter clouds.
Read More...
|
|
|
16-Jul-2004 |
About Face: Rover Engineers Change the Rules for Driving |
|
With Spirit’s right front wheel showing signs of age, engineers are finding creative ways to keep the rover moving. They’re inventing a whole new rule book, such as driving forward in reverse and turning the wheels to go straight.
Read More...
|
|
|
12-Jul-2004 |
To Mars and Back |
|
Students Share the Excitement (and hard work) of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission.
Read More...
|
|
|
09 Jul 2004 |
Masterminds of Scientific Art and Rover Movement on Mars |
|
The inventors of digital camera technology bring you breathtaking pictures from space and keep the Mars rovers safe.
Read More...
|
|
|
07 Jul 2004 |
Rover to Get Lube Job? |
|
As Spirit comes up on its 3,000-meter check-up, the rover may need a lube job to rejuvenate one of its wheels. Even so, the spacecraft's designers are thrilled that the rover has far exceeded its original warranty.
Read More...
|
|
|
10 Jun 2004 |
Steep Grade Ahead: Can the Rover Make It? |
|
At the edge of Endurance Crater, Opportunity was poised for the biggest challenge of its short existence: a drive down into Endurance Crater.
Read More...
|
|
|
02 Jun 2004 |
What's in a Name? It Depends on Who's Doing the Naming |
|
Generically referring to features as "that crater," "this rock," or "these hills" could quickly become confusing.
Read More...
|
|
|
15 Apr 2004 |
El Capitan and the Sweet Spots in Eagle Crater (Slideshow) |
|
The rock outcrop along the edge of Eagle Crater where Opportunity landed provided a treasure trove of information for the science team.
Read More...
|
|
|
15 Apr 2004 |
Thread-like Feature on Mars: Mystery Solved (Slideshow) |
|
The rover team solves the mystery of the unidentified object pictured by the microscopic imager.
Read More...
|
|
|
09 Mar 2004 |
Slip Sliding Away |
|
On the slippery slopes of Opportunity Ledge, rover drivers and mobility experts have to outwit the rover's odometer to reach the precise science targets on Mars.
Read More...
|
|
|
04 Mar 2004 |
Sheddings from Opportunity Lead Rover Fans on a "Bunny" Chase |
|
|
|
24 Feb 2004 |
Tales in the Tracks |
|
Rover wheels serve as additional "science instruments."
Read More...
|
|
|
23-Feb-2004 |
Make Your Own Eye-Popping 3-D Pictures |
|
Make Mars and other "vacation spots" come alive when you create 3-D images using a computer and photo-editing software.
Read More...
|
|
|
08 Feb 2004 |
A Day in the Life of a Martian Scientist |
|
NASA's rover mission is filled with scientists and engineers who are altering their natural circadian rhythms to live on Mars time and sacrificing their dining desires, sleep, and homes to work together as a team in Pasadena, California.
Read More...
|
|
|
28 Jan 2004 |
Revealing Mars' True Colors: Part Two |
|
When Spirit sends pictures back from Mars, they aren't finished products. Each pixel in the image is coded in zeros and ones, which are later translated into pixel color and brightness.
Read More...
|
|
|
28 Jan 2004 |
Revealing Mars' True Colors: Part One |
|
Scientists and engineers have worked hard to provide us with a human-like view of Mars, because Spirit sees things much differently from her robot perspective.
Read More...
|
|
|
23-Jan-2004 |
Hematite |
|
The Opportunity rover lands on Mars Saturday, January 24, 2004, in an area rich with grey hematite. To find out what helped produce the hematite - water or volcanic activity - they'll be examining both the form of the hematite and the company it is keeping.
Read More...
|
|
|
20 Jan 2004 |
The Sky Is The Limit |
|
Believe it or not, some of the scientists on the Mars Exploration Rover Science team don’t really care too much about rocks - or for that matter anything on the surface of Mars. They have "higher" ambitions.
Read More...
|
|
|
13 Jan 2004 |
From Robot Geologists to Human Geologists on Mars |
|
Humans going to Mars in the future will depend on what we learn from our current robotic missions to create the right spacesuits, habitats, and roving vehicles humans will someday drive on Mars.
Read More...
|
|
|
11 Jan 2004 |
Anniversary Party for Odyssey at Mars |
|
While Spirit's success is on the front page, Odyssey quietly celebrates its anniversary - a full martian year in science orbit.
Read More...
|
|
|
10 Jan 2004 |
Scientists Don't Judge a Book by its Cover |
|
Landscapes that look familiar at first glance can have surprising geologic histories, so scientists are patiently searching for the right clues that will lead them to understand the processes that formed Spirit's landing site, Gusev Crater.
Read More...
|
|
|
09 Jan 2004 |
A Standing Ovation For Spirit's Stand-up |
|
Imagine your delight at deplaning after a six-month-long flight in a packed coach cabin. After a lengthy, seriously confined journey, Spirit, too, got some relief by stretching her legs.
Read More...
|
|
|
08 Jan 2004 |
Watchmaker With Time to Lose |
|
Most people would be irritated by a watch that loses 39 minutes a day - not so for the members of the Mars Exploration Rover mission. Watchmaker Garo Anserlian is helping them slow down time.
Read More...
|
|
|
05 Jan 2004 |
How Do Scientists and Engineers Find Spirit? |
|
Like working a jigsaw puzzle, scientists and engineers piece together data to uncover Spirit's location.
Read More...
|
|
|
04-Jan-2004 |
How Did Navigators Hit Their Precise Landing Target on Mars? |
|
To land in a precise location on Mars after traveling over 300 million miles, navigators at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had to overcome the head-spinning challenges of calculating the exact speeds of a rotating Earth, a rotating Mars, and a rotating spacecraft, while they all simultaneously are spinning in their own radical orbits around the Sun.
Read More...
|
|
|
03-Jan-2004 |
Mission Control: Who's at the Helm? |
|
On Saturday night, January 3, the Mission Support Area (otherwise known as "mission control") at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be filled, with every seat at every station occupied by members of the Mars Exploration Rover team. Everyone will be holding a collective breath in anticipation of a safe landing.
Read More...
|
|
|