
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit slipped in soft ground during short backward drives on the 1,886th and 1,889th Martian days, or sols, of the rover's mission on Mars (April 23 and 26, 2009). Spirit used its front hazard-avoidance camera after driving on Sol 1889 to get this wide-angle view, which shows the soil disturbed by the drives. Spirit drove 1.11 meters (3.6 feet) on Sol 1889 and 1.68 meters (5.5 feet) on Sol 1886. The rover drags its right front wheel, which no longer rotates. For scale, the distance between the wheel tracks is about 1 meter (40 inches). This view is looking northward, with Husband Hill on the horizon. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12002
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NASA ID
PIA12002
Date Created
May 1, 2009
Center
JPL
Media Type
image
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Mars Exploration Rover MER-A Spirit Landing Site
Jan 3, 2004
Spirit Stretches Out
Jan 10, 2004
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - With smoke and steam billowing beneath, the Delta II rocket with its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload leaps off the launch pad into the blue sky to begin its journey to Mars. Liftoff occurred on time at 1:58 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MER-A, known as "Spirit," is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at the red planet in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for the MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.
Jun 10, 2003
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Delta II rocket with its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload leaps off the launch pad into the blue sky to begin its journey to Mars. Liftoff occurred on time at 1:58 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MER-A, known as "Spirit," is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at the red planet in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for the MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.
Jun 10, 2003