Sojourner On Mars
Explanation:
The six wheeled
robot rover Mars Sojourner rolled onto
the martian surface on July 5th
(Sol 2)
at about 10:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
This image confirms that its descent down the lander's rear deployment ramp
was successful.
Click on the image to download
a "movie gif" constructed from 9 images taken by
the Sagan Memorial Station's IMP camera which shows
the rover rolling down the ramp!
The rover moved only a short distance from the ramp and
spent the night analyzing
the martian soil with its
Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer.
Its next destination will be a
tantalizing
rock about 1 foot away that scientists have named "Barnacle Bill".
A slow but steady off-road vehicle powered by a 1.9 square foot
solar array,
the rover can
negotiate obstacles tilted at a 45 degree angle
and travels at less than half an inch per second or
nearly 0.03 miles per hour.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
