Mars Exploration Rovers

The MARS News Network - MNN

The tale of two cities . . . .Opportunity and Spirit on Mars

The Mars Exploration Rovers are among the most successful missions ever flown.   Both rovers are still operating after 5 years on Mars,
which is a bit more than the 3 months of planned operations.   Both Rovers have changed the face of Mars for ever, they have transmitted amazingly
detailed pictures and science telemetry. They have found on the ground evidence of large amounts of surface water on Mars.

There are two rovers sent to mars, MER 1 and MER 2, better known as Spirit and Opporunity.   In June and July 2003 Spirit and Opportunity left Earth on their way to Mars.
The goals for both of these identical rovers is to look for evidence of water having been present on Mars in the past.   Spirit landed first in Gusev crater
on January 4, 2004.   Gusev was chosen because orbital visual pictures and MOLA pictures show what appears to be an inflow channel at the southern end of the crater. From space
it appears to have been a crater lake. The MOLA picture below show the location and appearance of the crater.   Spirit landed just west of
Columbia Hills, as they are now known, which is an uplift in the approximate middle of the crater.   Spirit has navigated its local area and when
into the "hills" on an amazing five year journey, which is still going on. Opporunity landed at Meridiani Planum in Eagle Crater on January 25th, which is an
equatorial landing site just east of the Valles Marineris complex.   This site has some of the highlights of both mission. The best place I have found for
the details of the mission is the press site for NASA at http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/index.html      This site has all of the press releases since the January 2004 landings.

MER Landing sites

Credit: NASA/JPL

MOLA view of MARS - Gusev near the bottom

Credit: NASA/JPL

MOLA - Gusev Close up - notice outflow channel

Credit: NASA/JPL

Gusev - visual picture from orbit

Credit: NASA/JPL

HIGHLIGHTS AND FINDINGS:

SPIRIT:

Spirit landed in the middle of Gusev crater. After an intial inspection of the landing site, it appeared to be basaltic in nature, not evidince of water
created geology. In the distance are Columbia Hills, so it was decided that a trek to the hills would be the best place to find something interesting.
The Spirit landing site was christened Columbia Memorial Station, Opporuntity's landing site is called Challenger Memorial Station

Wheels dig up silica- McCool- evidence of water?

Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

Dirt devil - twister on Mars

Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

Spirit Landing site - first view

Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

Opportunity:

Opporunity was well named, NASA hit a plantary hole in one by rolling in the bottom of a shallow crater, dubbed Eagle Crater after Apollo 11.
This crater had exposed sedimentary rock.   Some of the first pictures showed this wall, the rover did investigate close up with the RAT and Mossbauer spectrometer.
The other finding in Eagle crater were thousands of what turned out to be hematite sphericals, called blueberries.   These are formed in sediments when the water evaporates,
hematite precipates out. As the sediment erodes, the blueberries are what is left.   The appear to be everywhere at Meridini Planum.

Panorama of Eagle Crater

Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

Panorama of Eagle Crater from the Mast Camera

Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

From Eagle Crater Opportunity traversed first to Endurance Crater and the then south to the spectacluar Victoria Crater. The pics from Victoria Crater are
some of the most breath taking off world pictures I have seen. It's just like being there.

Edurance Crater traverse map by Sol