Spirit explored the Columbia Hills region of Mars, discovering evidence of past volcanic activity and water. It became stuck in soft soil in 2009, and NASA lost contact in 2010.
Launch Date
Jun 10, 2003
208 day transit
Landing Date
Jan 4, 2004
8,119 days on Mars
Total Photos
124,550
5 cameras
Max Sol
2,208
Martian days
Status
Complete
Mission ended
Spirit, Opportunity's twin rover, landed in Gusev Crater on January 4, 2004 -- three weeks before its sibling. Spirit was tasked with studying rocks and soils for evidence of past water activity. Over six years of exploration, Spirit traversed the Columbia Hills and discovered silica-rich deposits near Home Plate, strong evidence for past hydrothermal activity or hot-spring environments. Spirit survived harsh Martian winters, dust storms, and a broken front wheel that ironically led to one of its greatest discoveries -- as the stuck wheel scraped the surface, it exposed silica-rich soil beneath. In May 2009, Spirit became embedded in soft soil at a location called Troy, and NASA lost contact on March 22, 2010. The mission was officially ended on May 25, 2011.
Launch
June 10, 2003
Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Mars Landing
January 4, 2004
After 208 days in transit
Mission End
Sol 2,208
Operated for 2,208 Martian days
FHAZ
Front Hazard Avoidance Camera
RHAZ
Rear Hazard Avoidance Camera
NAVCAM
Navigation Camera
PANCAM
Panoramic Camera
MINITES
Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer
Latest Martian days with available photos.
No recent photos available.