Facts About Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit
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| Image: NASA/JPL |
About The Mission:
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| Image: NASA/JPL |
Spirit could be a robotic rover on Mars, active from 2004 to 2010. It is also known as MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A) or MER-2. Among her infinite discoveries, Spirit found evidence that Mars was once much wetter than it is today and helped scientists better understand the Martian wind.
Scientific Payloads:
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| Image: NASA/JPL |
- Panoramic camera (Pancam)
- Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES)
- Mossbauer Spectrometer (MB)
- Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS)
- Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams)
- Navigation Cameras (Navcams)
Mission Timeline:
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| Image: NASA/JPL |
The Spirit Mars rover and lander arrived successfully on the surface of Mars at 04:35 Ground UTC on January 4, 2004. This was a 90 days mission, but it lasted until 2010.
Mission Overview:
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| Image: NASA/JPL |
On August 11, 2007, Spirit obtained the second longest operational duration on the surface of Mars for a lander or rover at 1282 Sols, one sol longer than the Viking 2 lander. Spirit was powered by solar arrays. Until Opportunity overtook it on May 19, 2010, the Mars probe with the longest operational period was Viking 1 that lasted for 2245 Sols on the surface of Mars. Spirit sent its last communication on March 22, 2010.
Discoveries By Rover Spirit:
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| Image: NASA/JPL |
- Dust Devils and Ancient Habitable Environments.
- Water Interacting with Hot Rock.
- An Ancient Hydrothermal System.
Honors To Rover Spirit:
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| Image: NASA/JPL |
- To commemorate Spirit's nice contribution to the exploration of Mars, the asteroid 37452 Spirit has been named after it.
- The Liberty Science Center and Reuben H. Fleet Science Center also have an IMAX show called Roving Mars that documents the journey of both Spirit and Opportunity rovers.
- To honor the rover, the JPL team named an area near Endeavour Crater explored by the Opportunity rover, 'Spirit Point'.
- January 4, 2014, was celebrated as the tenth anniversary of its landing on Mars.
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