Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Title:
Pathfinder's rover, airbags, & Martian terrain
Original Caption Released with Image:
This is one of the first pictures taken by the camera on the Mars Pathfinder lander shortly after its touchdown at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time on July 4, 1997. The small rover, named Sojourner, is seen in the foreground in its position on a solar panel of the lander. The white material on either side of the rover is part of the deflated airbag system used to absorb the shock of the landing. Between the rover and the horizon is the rock-strewn martian surface. Two hills are seen in the right distance, profiled against the light brown sky.

Pathfinder, a low-cost Discovery mission, is the first of a new fleet of spacecraft that are planned to explore Mars over the next ten years. Mars Global Surveyor, already en route, arrives at Mars on September 11 to begin a two year orbital reconnaissance of the planet's composition, topography, and climate. Additional orbiters and landers will follow every 26 months.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Addition Date:
1997-07-05
Produced By:
JPL
Mission:
Mars Pathfinder (MPF)
Spacecraft:
Mars Pathfinder Lander
Target Name:
Mars
Is a satellite of:
Sol (our sun)
Instrument:
Imager for Mars Pathfinder
Product Size:
1280 samples x 960 lines
Primary Data Set:
MARS_PATHFINDER_PAGE
Producer ID:
P48852
MRPS81277
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Mars
facet_what:
Imager
facet_what:
Mars Pathfinder
facet_what:
MPF
facet_what:
Mars Pathfinder Lander
facet_what:
Imager for Mars Pathfinder
facet_what:
Surveyor
facet_what:
Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter (MGS)
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where:
Mars
facet_where:
Arizona
facet_where:
California
facet_where:
Washington
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_when:
July 4, 1997
facet_when_year:
1997
Image #:
PIA00611
UID:
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA00611
orignial url:

Pathfinder's rover, airbags, & Martian terrain