modern exploration mars pathfinder “nasa’s mars pathfinder mission – the first spacecraft to...
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Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
“NASA’s Mars Pathfinder mission – the first spacecraft to land on Mars in more than 20 years and the first ever to send a rover out to independently explore the Martian landscape – is set for touchdown July 4, initiating a new era of scientific exploration that will lead eventually to human expeditions to the red planet.”
Mars Pathfinder Landing Press Kit, July 1997
Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
The primary mission objectives were to demonstrate the feasibility of low-cost landings on, and exploration of, the Martian surface (Faster, Better, Cheaper)
Scientific objectives included atmospheric entry science long-range and close-up surface imaging the general objective was to characterize the Martian environment
for further exploration
Modern ExplorationMars PathfinderLaunched December 4, 1996; landed July 4, 1997 in Ares Vallis which was believed to be the
site of an ancient floodLanding site selection made using Viking orbiter imageryFirst rover; first to use airbags
Modern ExplorationPathfinder
Landing Site Locations
Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
Pathfinder Landing Site
Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
Lander Instruments Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) Meteorological Station
Rover Instruments Three cameras, two stereo cameras in the front and a rear
color imaging system; cameras worked in tandem with a laser system to detect and avoid obstacles
Alpha-Proton-X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS); assess the composition of rocks and soils
Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
Notable results from PathfinderMore than 16,500 images from the lander and 550
images from the roverMore than 15 chemical analyses of rocks and soil and
extensive data on winds and other weather factorsFindings from the investigations carried out by scientific
instruments on both the lander and the rover suggest that Mars was at one time in its past warm and wet, with water existing in its liquid state and a thicker atmosphere
Modern ExplorationMars Pathfinder
How did Pathfinder advance scientific understanding of Mars? Evidence on the ground for a warm, wet past
What technological advance(s) did Pathfinder carry? First rover; can be remotely operated New landing system