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Mars Exploration Rovers |
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Mars rover Opportunity visits heat shield impact site
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has returned this view of its discard heat shield, which crashed to the planet's surface during the craft's descent and landing last January.
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Mars rovers spot water-clue mineral, frost, clouds
Scientists have identified a water-signature mineral called goethite in bedrock that the NASA's Mars rover Spirit examined in the "Columbia Hills," one of the mission's surest indicators yet for a wet history on Spirit's side of Mars.
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Reports detail Mars rover discoveries of wet history
The most dramatic findings so far from NASA's twin Mars rovers -- telltale evidence for a wet and possibly habitable environment in the arid planet's past -- passed rigorous scientific scrutiny for publication in a major research journal.
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Mars rover Opportunity looking for crater exit
Operators of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity have determined that a proposed route eastward out of "Endurance Crater" is not passable, so the rover will backtrack to leave the crater by a southward route, perhaps by retracing its entry path.
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Spirit adds clues about history of rocks in hills
All the scientific tools on NASA's two Mars Exploration Rovers are still working well, a full 10 months after Spirit's dramatic landing. The ones on Spirit are adding fresh evidence about the history of layered bedrock in a hill the rover is climbing.
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NASA's Mars rovers pass the 50,000-picture mark
A view of the sundial-like calibration target on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, with a bit of martian terrain in the background, is the 50,000th image from the twin rovers that have been exploring Mars since January.
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Problem with Spirit rover's steering reappears
A problem that affects the steering on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has recurred after disappearing for nearly two weeks. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are working to fully understand the intermittent problem and then implement operational work-arounds.
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Mars rovers probing more water history at two sites
NASA's Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring Mars about three times as long as originally scheduled. The more they look, the more evidence of past liquid water on Mars these robots discover.
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Controllers troubleshooting Mars rover problem
Engineers on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover team are investigating possible causes and
remedies for a problem affecting the steering on Spirit. The relay for steering actuators on Spirit's right-front and left-rear wheels did not operate as commanded last week.
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Mars orbiter sees rover, lander and even tracks
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, starting its third mission extension this week after seven years of orbiting the Red Planet, is using an innovative technique to capture pictures even sharper than most of the more than 170,000 it has already produced. One dramatic example from the spacecraft's camera shows wheel tracks of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit and the rover itself.
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Mars rovers renewed
As NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers resumed reliable contact with Earth, after a period when Mars passed nearly behind the Sun, the space agency extended funding for an additional six months of rover operations, as long as they keep working.
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Mars may have had large sea near rover landing site
Spacecraft observations of the landing area for one of NASA's two Mars rovers now indicate there likely was an enormous sea or lake covering the region in the past, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.
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Mars rover's stuck rock cutting tool fixed
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has resumed using its rock abrasion tool after a pebble fell out that had jammed the tool's rotors two weeks ago.
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Bedrock in Mars' Gusev Crater hints at watery past
Now that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is finally examining bedrock in the "Columbia Hills," it is finding evidence that water thoroughly altered some rocks in Mars' Gusev Crater. On Opportunity, a tool for exposing the insides of rocks stopped working Sunday, but engineers are optimistic that the most likely diagnosis is a problem that can be fixed soon.
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MARS ROVER ARCHIVE
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International interplanetary networking from Mars
One of NASA's Mars rovers has sent pictures relayed by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter for the first time, demonstrating that the orbiter could serve as a communications link if needed.
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Rocks tell stories in reports of Spirit's first 90 days
Scientific findings from the NASA rover Spirit's first three months on Mars will be published Friday, marking the start of a flood of peer-reviewed discoveries in scientific journals from the continuing two-rover adventure.
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Controllers working to fix Mars rover problems
NASA's Spirit rover has climbed higher into rocky hills on Mars, and its twin, Opportunity, has descended deeper into a crater, but both rovers, for the time being, are operating with some restrictions while team members diagnose unexpected behavior.
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NASA's Mars rovers roll into martian winter
As winter approaches on Mars, NASA's Opportunity rover continues to inch deeper into the stadium-sized crater dubbed "Endurance." On the other side of the planet, the Spirit rover found an intriguing patch of rock outcrop while preparing to climb up the "Columbia Hills" backward. This unusual approach to driving is part of a creative plan to accommodate Spirit's aging front wheel.
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Mars scientists marvel at mysterious rock formation
NASA's two Mars rovers, well past their 90-day prime missions, have entered a dramatic new phase of exploration. The Opportunity rover is working its way down a steep slope into Endurance Crater, slowly creeping back in time as it discovers older and clearly different type rocks. Evidence is mounting that shallow seas once pooled in this region, periodically drying out and reforming. On the other side of Mars, Spirit has found one of the strangest rocks discovered to date, one that defies easy explanation.
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Earth has 'blueberries' just like the Mars rover found
Even before marble-shaped pebbles nicknamed "blueberries" were discovered on Mars by the Opportunity rover, University of Utah geologists studied similar rocks in Utah's national parks and predicted such stones would be found on the Red Planet.
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Spirit, showing signs of old age, reaches Columbia hills
After five months on the frigid surface of Mars, one of NASA's hardy rovers is finally beginning to succumb to old age, developing a robotic form of arthritis that could limit its ability to climb steep slopes, officials said Tuesday.
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Mars rover Opportunity enters stadium-sized crater
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has dipped its wheels into Endurance Crater as controllers follow a cautious approach to ensure the robot doesn't become marooned inside the stadium-sized crater.
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Opportunity heads into crater; Spirit's water clue
NASA's Mars Opportunity rover began its latest adventure Tuesday inside the martian crater informally called Endurance. Opportunity was to roll in with all six wheels, then back out to the rim to check traction by looking at its own track marks.
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Mars rover Opportunity will drive into Endurance Crater
NASA has decided the potential science value gained by sending Opportunity into a martian impact crater likely outweighs the risk of the intrepid explorer not being able to get back out. The soonest Opportunity could enter Endurance is early next week.
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Rover Spirit nears hills as Opportunity probes crater
More than a month into bonus time after a successful primary mission on Mars, NASA's Spirit rover has sighted possibly layered rock in hills just ahead, while twin Opportunity has extended its arm to pockmarked stones on a crater rim to gather clues of a watery past.
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Opportunity rover begins new mode that adds risk
NASA's solar-powered Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is beginning on Thursday what controllers expect to be frequent use of an overnight "deep sleep" mode to stretch the robot's power supply. But the new mode increases risk that, without an overnight heater running, one of the six scientific instruments might fail due the cold.
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Mars rover inspects stone ejected from crater
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has begun sampling rocks blasted out from a stadium-sized impact crater the rover is circling, and the very first one may extend our understanding about the region's wet past.
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Opportunity rover poised on rim of 'spectacular' crater
NASA unveiled a dramatic image from the Opportunity Mars rover Thursday, a color panorama looking into a 30-foot-deep, football field-wide crater showing cliffs of exposed bedrock that may help unlock the geologic history of the region.
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Mars rover looks inside Endurance Crater
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached Endurance Crater, returning a stunning view inside the 430-foot diameter impact crater at Meridiani Planum. NASA has released this first look at Endurance in this 180-degree panorama, plus a three-dimensional version.
DOWNLOAD BLACK AND WHITE PANORAMA
DOWNLOAD 3-D VERSION
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Mars rover finds rock like meteorites on Earth
NASA's Opportunity rover has examined an odd volcanic rock on the plains of Mars' Meridiani Planum region with a composition unlike anything seen on Mars before, but scientists have found similarities to meteorites that fell to Earth.
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Mars rover Opportunity receives software upgrade
Following the successful flight software updating on sister-craft Spirit, the Opportunity rover has received its own brainpower makeover. Meanwhile, scientists have revealed the true-color panorama, dubbed "Lion King," generated by Opportunity showing Eagle Crater and the vast plains of Meridiani Planum.
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Mars rovers have missions extended through Sept.
NASA has approved an extended mission for the Mars Exploration Rovers, handing them up to five months of overtime assignments as they finish their three-month prime mission.
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Spirit finds hints of past water at Gusev site
Clues from a wind-scalloped volcanic rock on Mars investigated by NASA's Spirit rover suggest repeated possible exposures to water inside Gusev Crater, scientists said Thursday.
Gusev is halfway around the planet from the Meridiani region where Spirit's twin, Opportunity, recently found evidence that water used to flow across the surface.
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New phase of exploration beginning for Mars rovers
NASA's Spirit will begin trekking toward hills on its eastern horizon in the next few days, entering a new phase of the rover's exploration of Mars just before its prime three-month mission ends and its extended mission begins, rover team members said Friday.
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Rover finds evidence of ancient sea on Mars
Three weeks ago, NASA announced definitive evidence that Mars once featured an abundance of water supporting a habitable environment. But major questions remained. Tuesday, scientists unveiled photographs from NASA's Opportunity rover showing cross-bedded sedimentary rocks indicating that at least at one point on the martian surface - Meridiani Planum - a shallow, salty sea once ebbed and flowed.
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Opportunity rover bids farewell to crater home
Two months after scoring an "interplanetary hole in one" by landing inside a crater on Mars, the rover Opportunity drove out of the bowl-shaped crater Monday and sent back images of the remarkably smooth, flat terrain at Meridiani Planum.
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Mineral in Mars 'berries' adds to water story
A major ingredient in small mineral spheres analyzed by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity furthers understanding of past water at Opportunity's landing site and points to a way of determining whether the vast plains surrounding the site also have a wet history.
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Spirit rover reveals Bonneville Crater in color
The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has returned a stunning panorama from the rim of Bonneville Crater. The 180-degree mosaic shows the crater's interior and surrounding terrain. The heat shield that protected Spirit during the fiery descent through the Martian atmosphere is seen sitting on the opposite side of the crater.
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Spirit looks down into crater after reaching rim
NASA's Spirit has begun looking down into a crater it has been approaching for several weeks, providing a view of what's below the surrounding surface.
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Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons
NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers have become eclipse watchers. Opportunity is the first space probe to see moons pass in front of the sun from the surface of another world.
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The great 'bunny' chase at Mars rover landing site
Like a rabbit in a hat, the identity of an oddity that looks like "bunny ears" in a picture from Mars has eluded the science and engineering teams. The public, also fascinated with the mysterious object, has asked in a slew of e-mails: What is it?
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Volcanic rock in Gusev Crater hints at past water
NASA's Spirit has found hints of a water history in a rock at Mars' Gusev Crater, but it is a very different type of rock than those in which NASA's Opportunity found clues to a wet past on the opposite side of the planet.
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Rover confirms past liquid water on Mars
NASA's Opportunity rover, studying exposed bedrock in the crater where it landed by chance in January, has found clear evidence that Mars once supported a wet, habitable environment, one that would have been suitable for life, scientists announced Tuesday.
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Rover shows sunset on Mars
Capturing an awe-inspiring view, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has photographed the setting Sun from its landing site. In addition to the sunset images, scientists released a variety of other pictures at Thursday's rover science news conference.
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Opportunity probes trench, Spirit to dig one, too
By inspecting the sides and floor of a hole it dug on Mars, NASA's Opportunity rover is finding some things it did not see beforehand, including round pebbles that are shiny and soil so fine-grained that the rover's microscope can't make out individual particles.
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Prime mission half over, Spirit looks for bonus time
The first Mars Exploration Rover, beset for a time by computer troubles but now trekking on a geology adventure to an impact crater, has reached the midway mark of its primary mission.
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Opportunity digs Mars
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is putting its mark on the Red Planet, digging a small hole so its suite of science instruments can probe soil enriched with hematite, a mineral that typically forms in the presence of water.
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Road trip to Bonneville Crater continues for Spirit
Proving to be a real Mars hotrod, the Spirit rover has become the most traveled vehicle on the Red Planet, surpassing the distance accumulated by the Pathfinder rover nearly seven years ago.
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International interplanetary networking succeeds
A pioneering demonstration of communications between NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit and the European Space Agency Mars Express orbiter succeeded. While Mars Express was flying over the area Spirit was examining, the orbiter transferred commands from Earth to the rover and relayed data from the robotic explorer back to Earth.
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Cold motor causes Spirit to remain parked for a day
A missed communications window caused by a cold antenna motor on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit prevented the robot from racking up any additional distance on its odometer Tuesday night.
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Spirit rover establishes new Mars driving record
The rover Spirit drove into the Martian history books Monday night by making the longest single-day traverse on the Red Planet, eclipsing the mark set by Mars Pathfinder's Sojourner rover in 1997.
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Orbiter sees Opportunity rover on the Martian surface
As navigation experts pinpoint the rover Opportunity's precise location, the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor has spotted the craft sitting in a small crater. In other news Monday, scientists are working to understand mysterious spherical grains scattered around the landing site that the rover's microscopic imager is examining.
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One rover set to cruise, other in science mode
The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit was to leave its first rock subject late Sunday and begin the long journey toward an impact crater, a day later than planned after a self-imposed software hold. Meanwhile, Opportunity has commenced its examination of the rock outcropping at its landing site by taking amazing microscopic images.
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Rover takes a bite out of rock in the name of science
Its two diamond-tipped teeth gnawing at 3,000 revolutions per minute, the Mars rover Spirit has bore a hole in Adirondack, providing scientists a window inside the volcanic rock. Meanwhile, Opportunity has completed its drive to a rock dubbed Snout.
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Spirit readies for long drive after rock cleaning, grinding
Whipping half-inch stainless steel bristles against a pyramid-shaped rock, the Spirit rover has performed "the greatest interplanetary brushing of all time," a scientist joked Friday with the unveiling the latest images from Mars.
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Opportunity cruising to exposed bedrock
Driving up the inclined wall of the small crater the craft landed in, the Mars rover Opportunity was expected to arrive at the outer edge of bedrock outcropping early Saturday to begin its geologic work.
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Opportunity sees tiny spheres in Martian soil
Opportunity has examined its first patch of soil in the small crater where the rover landed on Mars and found strikingly spherical pebbles among the mix of particles there. "There are features in this soil unlike anything ever seen on Mars before," says the lead scientist.
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Rover's arm reaches for clues about Mars' history
Lending a hand to unlock the geologic riddles of Mars, the rover Opportunity has extended its instrument-laden arm to begin probing soil on the floor of a small crater where the craft landed.
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Martian hills dedicated to fallen Columbia crew
The Martian hills, located east of the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover's landing site, will be dedicated to the space shuttle Columbia STS-107 crew, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe announced Monday.
READ ANNOUNCEMENT
HILLS NAMED FOR APOLLO 1 CREW
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Files deleted on Spirit to fix computer trouble
A week-and-a-half after falling ill to computer woes, NASA on Sunday declared its Mars Exploration Rover Spirit was healthy again.
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Opportunity finds what it went to Mars looking for
With the pop of a champagne cork, a scientist announced Saturday that the Mars rover Opportunity has found scattered across the landing site a mineral that typically forms in water.
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Opportunity rover a true Marsmobile
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has successfully driven off its lander base, reaching the Red Planet's surface two days ahead of schedule. The craft will spend a few days examining the soil before rolling to the bedrock outcrop nearby.
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Opportunity's drive moved up to Saturday morning
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will be driving off its lander even earlier than envisioned yesterday. The $400 million craft is now slated to reach the surface by early Saturday morning (U.S. time).
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Opportunity could drive off lander base Saturday night
Launched to Mars folded and crouched in its landing cocoon, NASA's Opportunity rover has nearly completed the complex blossoming into a road-ready vehicle and could take its first drive onto the Red Planet's surface Saturday night.
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Photo received from recovering Spirit rover
Working as space-age surgeons 100 million miles away, ground controllers are trying to precisely pinpoint the software glitch that halted the Mars rover Spirit's mission to explore Gusev Crater last Wednesday. If successful, officials say the robot geologist could be out of recovery and back at work early next week.
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Shuttle Challenger crew memorialized on Mars
NASA has announced plans to name the landing site of the Mars Opportunity rover in honor of the space shuttle Challenger's final crew. The area in the vast flatland called Meridiani Planum, where Opportunity landed this weekend, will be called the Challenger Memorial Station.
READ ANNOUNCEMENT
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Opportunity rover set for 'coolest geologic field trip'
The discovery of layered rocks in the Martian bedrock next to the Opportunity's landing platform has scientists anxiously awaiting the rover's exploration of the terrain beginning next week.
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DOWNLOAD: THE FULL IMAGE
DOWNLOAD: 3-D VERSION OF ROCK OUTCROP
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Martian landmarks dedicated to Apollo 1 crew
NASA memorialized the Apollo 1 crew - Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee - by dedicating the hills surrounding the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's landing site to the astronauts. The crew of Apollo 1 perished in flash fire during a launch pad test of their Apollo spacecraft 37 years ago Tuesday.
READ ANNOUNCEMENT
DOWNLOAD: PANORAMA SHOWING HILLS
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Reconstructing Spirit's hopeful road to recovery
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit appeared to be teetering on the brink of failure last week when ground controllers lost contact with the craft sitting in Gusev Crater, its arm extended to a rock as the scientific adventure was beginning. Now, engineers are cautiously hopeful that Spirit will soon be restored to full working order.
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Latest color postcard from Opportunity rover received
New color imagery was released by scientists Monday showing the Opportunity rover sitting in a small crater. There are rock outcrops dispersed throughout the crater and the soil appears to be a mixture of coarse gray grains and fine reddish grains.
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DOWNLOAD: THE FULL IMAGE
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Opportunity achieves 'interplanetary hole in one'
After a seven-month voyage spanning 300 million miles from Earth to Mars, the Opportunity rover ended up inside a tiny crater to the utter delight of mission scientists.
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MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
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Bogged down software could explain Spirit ailment
The group working to unravel the glitch with Spirit and return the rover to action has narrowed the possible cause of its trouble to three potentials, officials said Sunday afternoon.
FULL STORY
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Rover hits scientific jackpot in strange martian world
The Opportunity rover unfolded its solar panels and beamed back its first snapshots of Mars four hours after landing today, providing stunning views of nearby slab-like rock formations, the first bedrock ever seen on the red planet. The images also showed what to this point is the smoothest fine-grain soil ever seen on Mars.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE
FIRST IMAGES:
FIRST COLOR IMAGE
STRANGE FORMATION
TEXTURES IN SOIL
LANDING SITE PANORAMA
POSSIBLE AIR BAG SOIL IMPRESSIONS
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NASA's Opportunity rover safely arrives at Mars
With California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Vice President Al Gore looking on, NASA's Opportunity lander slammed into the martian atmosphere and bounced to an airbag-cushioned touchdown early Sunday, joining the crippled-but-recovering Spirit rover on the surface of the red planet.
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VIDEO: PROJECT OFFICIALS HAVE 'FIRESIDE CHAT' W/REPORTERS QT
VIDEO: NASA ADMINISTRATOR HOLDS INFORMAL NEWS BRIEFING QT
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Spirit rover upgraded to 'serious' condition
With NASA's Opportunity rover on track for an early Sunday "bouncedown" on Mars, engineers said Saturday they have identified the problem crippling the Spirit rover and hope to resume relatively normal science operations in three weeks or so.
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Mars rover Spirit remains in 'critical' condition
The crippled Spirit rover remains in critical condition on the surface of Mars, engineers said Friday, the victim of ongoing electronic seizures that have caused its central computer to reboot itself more than 60 times over the past two days.
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Spirit rover suffers 'serious anomaly'
After a day of troubleshooting, engineers have not yet been able to restore communications with the Spirit rover, which stopped beaming back science and engineering data Wednesday. Project manager Pete Theisinger described the situation as "a very serious anomaly," but said it was too soon to say what might be causing the problem, whether it might be potentially fatal or whether the spacecraft can be restored to normal operation.
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Spirit controllers dealing with communications issues
Jet Propulsion Laboratory officials announced Wednesday evening that Mission Control had not received data from the Spirit rover during scheduled communications sessions with the craft. Earlier in the day, thunderstorms in Australia hampered the transmission of commands to the Mars rover, delaying the study of a rock dubbed Adirondack.
FULL STORY
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Latest color picture from Spirit shows lander
An impressive color image has been released showing the empty lander base that delivered the Spirit rover to Mars. The view of Columbia Memorial Station at Gusev Crater was taken by Spirit's panoramic camera.
PHOTO: SPIRIT LOOKS BACK AT LANDER
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Mars rover science team ponders soil mysteries
In the first patch of soil examined in detail by instruments aboard the Mars Spirit rover, scientists were surprised to find olivine, a silicate mineral that typically forms in igneous rocks of volcanic origin. It also weathers rapidly in the presence of water, posing a mystery of sorts for the rover science team.
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Spirit drives to 'Adirondack' rock for close-up study
Taking a "little Sunday drive" on Mars, the Spirit rover has cruised to a pyramid-shaped rock where its suite of scientific instruments will be employed to determine its composition.
STATUS REPORT
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Spirit's robot arm extended for detailed study of soil
The Spirit Mars rover unlimbered its robot arm Friday and took the first microscopic images of another planet's surface. The smooth operation of the arm during the rover's 13th day on Mars was another major milestone in a mission that, so far, has sailed through activation and checkout without any significant problems.
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First rock, soil observations on tap for Spirit rover
Starting late tonight, engineers will begin putting the rover's robot arm through its paces, checking out its rock-eroding abrasion tool and taking the first microscope images of the rocky soil directly in front of the rover. Late Friday, the arm's two spectrometers will make measurements and then, if all goes well, Spirit will begin moving again late Saturday or Sunday night.
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Six-wheeling on Mars: Spirit drives off lander
The Spirit rover successfully drove onto the surface of Mars this morning, leaving behind its lander base for the exploration of Gusev Crater. Spirit made the 10-foot, 78-second drive autonomously before informing Mission Control of the results more than an hour later.
FULL STORY
PHOTO: SPIRIT'S VIEW LOOKING AT LANDER
PHOTO: FORWARD-LOOKING VIEW FROM ROVER
PHOTO: 3D IMAGE OF THE EMPTY LANDER
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VIDEO: CELEBRATIONS AT FIRST VIEW OF EMPTY LANDER BASE QT
VIDEO: IMAGES RECEIVED FROM SPIRIT AFTER THE ROLL-OFF QT
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF SPIRIT'S TURNS & DRIVE FROM LANDER QT
VIDEO: TODAY'S NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER SPIRIT'S DRIVE QT
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Spirit rover ready to roll
The Spirit Mars rover has successfully completed a 115-degree "turn in place" atop its lander and now stands poised to roll off onto the martian surface early Thursday. The long-awaited 10-foot move is expected to be completed just before dawn East Coast time. If all goes well, a rear-facing navigation camera will take a parting snapshot of the lander as Spirit's surface exploration finally gets underway.
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Rover headed toward hilly vista for martian exploration
An exploration strategy has been developed for the Spirit rover after determining the craft's exact location. A close-by crater and a cluster of hills off in the distance are prime scientific targets. "We now know where we are and with that knowledge, we can now intelligently plan a mission-long traverse, a mission-long plan for exploration of this landing site," science chief Steve Squyres says.
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VIDEO: SPIRIT'S 45-DEG TURN ON LANDER WITH NARRATION QT
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Spirit's landing more dramatic than first thought
In the end, it was probably just as well flight controllers couldn't watch the Spirit lander's hair-raising descent to the rocky floor of Gusev Crater January 3. Even a base-jumping skydiver might have experienced a jolt of fear given the last-second maneuvers required to turn a high-speed impact into a safe, if bumpy, landing.
FULL STORY
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Rock fragmentation at rover site possibly result of water
The first 360-degree panorama taken by the Spirit rover's main camera system provides a spectacular view of Gusev Crater's cracked and churned-up floor, including an abundance of small, cracked rocks and fragments that could be the result of water-driven erosion in the distant past, researchers said Monday.
FULL STORY
DOWNLOAD: 360-DEGREE COLOR PANORAMA
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Rover to drive off lander base in different direction
Engineers now think they'll be ready to roll the Spirit rover off its lander and onto the martian surface early Thursday, a day later than had been hoped, to accommodate rehearsals and a two-day procedure to rotate the rover into position for its long-awaited egress.
FULL STORY
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Spirit rover stands up for its first drive
The Spirit Mars rover completed its multi-part "stand-up" sequence Saturday, the most complex set of mechanical deployments ever attempted by a robotic spacecraft. Resting on its now unfolded, locked-in-place undercarriage and its six ridged wheels, Spirit should be ready to roll off its lander and onto the martian surface by mid-week to begin its long-await exploration of Gusev Crater.
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Efforts continue to clear airbag from rover driveway
Engineers are having problems fully retracting partially collapsed airbags under the Spirit rover's landing platform that may hamper efforts to drive the vehicle straight off and onto the martian surface. Other exit routes are available, however, and mission manager Matt Wallace said he believed Spirit could simply drive over the airbag material with no problems.
FULL STORY
PHOTO: NEW COLOR IMAGERY
DOWNLOAD: HIGH-RES VERSION OF POSTCARD
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Spirit's landing site more complex than first thought
More ultra-sharp views of the floor of Gusev Crater show a surprisingly rolling, rock-strewn landscape that bears little resemblance to the relatively smooth, wind-swept lakebed investigators thought they saw in initial, low-resolution images. Lakebed deposits may well be present, a mission scientist said Wednesday, but they may be more difficult to find than first thought.
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First color image from Spirit rover thrills scientists
The sharpest picture ever taken on the surface of Mars was unveiled Tuesday, a remarkably detailed color mosaic showing the rock-strewn vista directly in front of the Spirit rover that stretches all the way to misty mesas and hills on the distant horizon.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!
OVERVIEW OF THE PANCAM
PHOTOS: FIRST COLOR IMAGE
PHOTOS: CLOSE-UP VIEW OF TERRAIN
PHOTOS: CLOSE-UP VIEW OF STREAKS IN SOIL
PHOTOS: CLOSE-UP OF MARKS FROM AIRBAGS
DOWNLOAD: 4 MB FULL-RES COLOR IMAGE
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Space shuttle Columbia crew memorialized on Mars
NASA has announced plans to name the landing site of the Mars Spirit Rover in honor of the astronauts who died in the tragic accident of the space shuttle Columbia in February. The area in the vast flatland of the Gusev Crater where Spirit landed this weekend will be called the Columbia Memorial Station.
FULL STORY
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Spirit shows Mars in 3D
A 3D panorama shot by Spirit's low-resolution navigation cameras was unveiled Monday and a full-resolution, color mosaic showing the terrain immediately in front of the rover is scheduled for downlink early Tuesday.
FULL STORY
PHOTOS: 3D PANORAMA UNVEILED
DOWNLOAD: SEE THE FULL 3D PAN
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Spirit's high-gain antenna successfully deployed
In another major milestone, the Spirit Mars rover's high-gain antenna was successfully deployed Sunday night and aimed at Earth. A few minutes before 12:30 a.m. EST Monday, the first direct-to-Earth communications session over the high-data-rate antenna began, prompting a now-familiar round of cheers and applause in mission control.
FULL STORY
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Spirit set for its first full day on martian surface
The primary goal of tonight's activity is to deploy, check out and begin using the rover's main high-gain antenna, the link flight controllers will use throughout the mission to send commands to the spacecraft. Overnight, scientists hope to downlink a spectacular color image from Spirit's high-resolution stereo panoramic camera.
FULL STORY
SPIRIT LANDS IN SCIENCE 'SWEET SPOT'
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NASA's Spirit Rover successfully lands on Mars
Cushioned by giant airbags, the Spirit rover bounced to a successful landing on Mars late Saturday and beamed back pictures from the surface three hours after touchdown. The black-and-white images showed Spirit landed on a rock-strewn plain, in a relatively level orientation facing south across the floor of Gusev crater, once the site of a vast lake.
FULL STORY
SCIENTIST THRILLED WITH LANDING SITE
ENTRY, DESCENT AND LANDING TIMELINE
THE GUSEV CRATER
SCIENCE OBJECTIVES
FIRST IMAGES:
SPIRIT'S VIEW OF THE MARTIAN HORIZON
MARS ORBITER VIEW OF LANDING SITE
FIRST IMAGES ON MISSION CONTROL SCREEN
NASA CHIEF VIEWS EARLY IMAGES
360-DEGREE OVERHEAD VIEW OF LANDING SITE
SPIRIT ROVER SITTING ON ITS LANDER
SCIENTISTS ADMIRE THE FIRST VIEWS
DESCENT CAMERA IMAGE OF LANDING SITE
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VIDEO: ENTRY, DESCENT & LANDING SEQUENCE EXPLAINED QT
VIDEO: EXPLANATION OF ROVER'S POST-LANDING EVENTS QT
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S PRE-LANDING STATUS BRIEFING QT
VIDEO: NASA OFFICIALS HOLD INFORMAL CHAT WITH REPORTERS QT
VIDEO: WATCH FRIDAY'S MARS PROGRAM BRIEFING QT
VIDEO: MARS SCIENCE IS DETAILED IN THIS NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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Rover wheels to dig holes for Martian soil study
After the twin Mars Exploration Rovers bounce onto the red planet and begin touring the Martian terrain in January, onboard spectrometers and cameras will gather data and images --- and the rovers' wheels will dig holes.
FULL STORY
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Mars-bound Opportunity rover adjusts trajectory
NASA's Opportunity spacecraft made its first trajectory correction maneuver Friday, a scheduled operation to fine-tune its Mars-bound flight path. For the trajectory adjustment, flight team members commanded Opportunity to perform a prescribed sequence of thruster firings.
FULL STORY [July 18]
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Earth's Opportunity rover launched to Mars
Recovering from a last-second cliffhanger delay, NASA finally launched its second state-of-the-art rover to Mars late Monday, sending the $400 million "Opportunity" spacecraft on its way atop a hot-rod Delta 2 rocket that lighted the night sky for dozens of miles around.
FULL STORY [July 7]
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA THROUGH FIRST STAGE CUTOFF QT
VIDEO: CAPE CANAVERAL PRESS SITE REPLAY QT
VIDEO: TRACKING CAMERA VIEW FROM PATRICK AFB QT
VIDEO: POWERFUL TRACKER FOLLOWS THE ROCKET QT
VIDEO: VIEW FROM THE SKID STRIP RUNWAY QT
VIDEO: LAUNCH MANAGER RECAPS COUNTDOWN AND ASCENT QT
VIDEO: STATUS OF OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCED AFTER LAUNCH QT
VIDEO: MONDAY'S ROLLBACK OF MOBILE SERVICE TOWER QT
FULL VIDEO COLLECTION
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Mars Exploration Rover poised for Monday liftoff
After a nine-day wait to fix problems with its launcher, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will take its second shot at departing Earth on Monday night aboard a Boeing Delta 2-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
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VIDEO: THE MOBILE TOWER IS RETRACTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON QT
VIDEO: NARRATED MOVIE SHOWS 'OPPORTUNITY' LAUNCH PREPS QT
VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF DELTA 2 ROCKET BEING STACKED QT
PHOTO: 12-PICTURE GALLERY FROM SATURDAY'S COUNTDOWN OPEN
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S "OPPORTUNITY" PRE-LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF DELTA LAUNCHING MARS ROVER QT
VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF MER-A "SPIRIT" LAUNCH QT
PHOTO: 19-PICTURE GALLERY FROM 'SPIRIT' ONBOARD CAMERA OPEN
FULL VIDEO COLLECTION
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Mars-bound Spirit rover adjusts trajectory
NASA's Spirit spacecraft, the first of twin Mars Exploration Rovers, performed its first trajectory correction maneuver Friday. The craft first performed a calibration and check of its eight thrusters, then fired the thrusters to fine-tune its flight path toward Mars.
FULL STORY [June 20]
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'Spirit' rover begins seven-month cruise to Mars
NASA kicked off an $800 million mission to Mars Tuesday, launching the first of two golf cart-sized robots that will creep across the red planet's surface looking for the geological traces of a warmer, wetter past and the environmental conditions necessary for the evolution of life.
FULL STORY [June 10]
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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VIDEO: SPACEFLIGHT NOW LAUNCH VIEW FROM PRESS AREA QT
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VIDEO: POWERFUL TRACKER FOLLOWS THE ROCKET QT
VIDEO: CAPE CANAVERAL PRESS SITE 1 REPLAY QT
VIDEO: VIEW FROM THE SKID STRIP RUNWAY QT
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO: NAMING CEREMONY FOR MARS ROVERS QT
VIDEO: WEATHER SCRUBS SUNDAY LAUNCH ATTEMPT QT
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Mars rovers named 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity'
Twin robotic geologists NASA is sending to Mars will embody in their newly chosen names -- Spirit and Opportunity -- two cherished attributes that guide humans to explore.
FULL STORY [June 8]
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Twin roving geologists bound for surface of Mars
Building on past successes -- and learning from embarrassing failures -- NASA is poised to jump start its Mars exploration program by sending a pair of "monster truck" rovers to the Red Planet in an $800 million mission to search for clues about what happened to the water than once carved the martian surface.
FULL STORY [May 29]
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Giant airbags will give rovers' landings a bounce
If all goes well, Mars Rover-A will slam into the atmosphere of Mars on January 4, 2004, at an angle of 11.5 degrees, an altitude of about 80 miles and a velocity of 12,000 mph. Eight seconds before touchdown, giant airbags will suddenly inflate, encapsulating the spacecraft in a protective cocoon.
FULL STORY [May 29]
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NASA has Mars missions planned through decade
The Mars Exploration Rovers represent the next step in an ambitious, on-going program to explore the Red Planet, to map out its structure, composition and meteorology and to determine whether it ever harbored life.
FULL STORY [May 29]
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Mars rover launch delayed
NASA has postponed the launch of its first Mars Exploration Rover at least three days to give managers more time to complete pre-flight engineering reviews. The liftoff is now targeted to occur June 8 aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
FULL STORY [May 27]
LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
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Fix ordered for possible problem on Mars rovers
Engineers have uncovered a potential problem with the two identical Mars Exploration Rovers that will be launched to the Red Planet in the coming months, prompting NASA to delay liftoff of the first rover by one week.
FULL STORY [April 14]
LANDING SITES SELECTED
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Homestretch for Mars rover naming contest
NASA is reminding America's school kids that time is running out on a chance to make history by naming two rovers being launched to explore Mars. The "Name the Mars Rovers" contest closes January 31, so there is still time to submit the winning entries.
FULL STORY [Jan. 20]
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Mars rover takes baby steps
Like any travelers worth their frequent flyer miles, the twin rovers of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission must prepare for a long journey. The twins face a daunting 286 million mile voyage to Mars. To ensure their readiness, scientists and engineers at JPL are testing the rovers by simulating conditions they'll experience en route to and upon arrival at the red planet.
FULL STORY [Nov. 14]
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This new poster features some of the best images from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.
This amazing panorama of the martian surface at Columbia Hills was taken by the Spirit rover. Expert narration is provided by camera scientist Jim Bell. (2min 12sec file)
Mars Exploration Rover project manager Jim Erickson and panoramic camera lead scientist Jim Bell offer comments on the status of the Spirit and Opportunity missions (1min 33sec file)
A problem with the Opportunity rover's Rock Abrasion Tool is explained in detailed by JPL mission manager Chris Salvo. (4min 14sec file)
Spirit's examination of rock outcropping at Gusev Crater has yielded new clues about the history of water there, as explained by Doug Ming, a rover science team member from Johnson Space Center. (5min 59sec file)
A stunning new picture from the Mars rover Spirit taken from the hillside shows the sweeping plains of Gusev and the crater's rim on the distant horizon. Expert narration is provided by Steve Squyres, the rover lead scientist. (1min 22sec file)
Steve Squyres, the rover lead scientist, descibes Opportunity's ongoing work inside Endurance Crater and narrates new pictures that includes clouds moving across the Martian sky. (5min 50sec file)
Scientists and mission officials explain the latest findings and exploration by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers during this news conference on August 18. (49min 40sec file)
Scientists explain the Mars rover Spirit's discovery of hematite at the Columbia Hills and Opportunity's work inside Endurance Crater during this briefing from June 25. (40min 17sec file)
Mars rover Spirit's arrival at the Columbia Hills, trouble with one of its wheels and Opportunity's descent into Endurance Crater and all of the latest pictures are presented at this briefing from June 15. (30min 27sec file)
Cameras on Opportunity provides this "ride-along" view of the rover's risky drive into Endurance Crater. Expert narration by science team member Scott McLennan. (30sec file)
Another stunning color panorama from the Mars rover Opportunity looking into Endurance Crater and the surrounding plains is presented with expert narration by science team member Scott McLennan. (1min 30sec file)
Spirit has generated this panorama from the base of the Columbia Hills. Expert narration is provided by science team member Larry Soderblom. (1min 15sec file)
New pictures from Mars rover Spirit showing the "Pot of Gold" rock area and other features are revealed with expert narration by science team member Larry Soderblom. (4min 47sec file)
Plans to drive the Mars rover Opportunity into Endurance Crater and new results from Spirit's search for past water at Gusev Crater are announced at this briefing from June 8. (38min 18sec file)
Opportunity's path into Endurance Crater and plans for the drive are explained by mission manager Jim Erickson. (1min 28sec file)
The rover lead scientist, Steve Squyres, explains what Opportunity will study inside Endurance Crater and what the results would say about Mars. (3min 09sec file)
Steve Squyres, rover principal investigator, narrates a new panorama from Spirit showing the Columbia Hills. (2min 01sec file)
"A brand new mission" is beginning for the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as it nears the Columbia Hills as described in this presentation by science team member James Rice. (5min 57sec file)
New pictures from the Mars rover Opportunity as it drives around the rim of Endurance Crater are presented with narration by science team member Wendy Calvin. (5min 25sec file)
Mission officials and scientists discuss the condition and progress of Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity plus the latest science news in this briefing from June 2. (40min 55sec file)
An interview with Joy Crisp, project scientist for the Mars Exploration Rovers. (3min 47sec file)
The spectacular high-resolution, color panorama from the Mars rover Opportunity at the edge of Endurance Crater is presented with expert narration by Steve Squyres, the mission's lead scientist. (2min 08sec file)
Explore the Columbia Hills at Gusev Crater where Spirit is headed in this computer-generated movie using imagery from orbit. Expert narration by Amy Knudson, science team collaborator. (3min 11sec file)
The Mars rover Opportunity's arrival at Endurance Crater and Spirit's trek to the Columbia Hills are topics in this news conference from May 6. (42min 12sec file)