Mars Exploration Rover
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What is the Mars Exploration Rover?
The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission involved a pair of U.S. robotic vehicles, Spirit and Opportunity, that explored the surface of Mars from January 2004 to June 2018. Each rover's mission was to study the chemical and physical composition of the surface to help determine if water had ever existed on the planet and to search for other signs that the planet might have supported some form of life.
Both rovers found evidence of past water; perhaps the most dramatic was the discovery by Opportunity of rocks that appeared to have been laid down at the shoreline of an ancient body of salty water. Opportunity traveled 45 km (28 miles) over 14 years, records for distance and time on another planet.
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Why did scientists send the Mars Exploration Rovers to Mars?
The Mars Exploration Rovers, including Spirit and Opportunity, were sent to Mars to investigate the planet's surface composition and determine if water ever existed there, searching for signs that Mars could have supported life. These rovers were equipped with cameras and instruments such as microscopic imagers and spectrometers to analyze the rocks, soil, and dust around their landing sites.
Both rovers found evidence of past water. Opportunity discovered rocks that appeared to have been laid down at the shoreline of an ancient body of salty water.
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What are the names of the two Mars Exploration Rovers?
The two Mars Exploration Rovers were named Spirit and Opportunity. Launched in 2003, their mission was to study the chemical and physical composition of the Martian surface to determine if water ever existed on the planet and to search for signs that it might have supported life. Spirit landed in Gusev Crater on January 3, 2004, and Opportunity landed in Meridiani Planum three weeks later on January 24. Both rovers were equipped with cameras and instruments to analyze the rocks, soil, and dust around their landing sites. Each rover was designed for a 90-day mission but functioned well past that time. Spirit stopped transmitting to Earth in March 2010, and Opportunity stopped in June 2018.
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How do the Mars Exploration Rovers move and work on Mars?
The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, were robotic vehicles that explored the surface of Mars from January 2004 to June 2018. These six-wheeled, 174-kg rovers were equipped with cameras and instruments, including a microscopic imager and a rock-grinding tool, to study the chemical and physical composition of the surface.
Both rovers were designed for a 90-day mission but functioned for much longer. Spirit traveled over 7.7 km before becoming stuck in soft soil in May 2009. Opportunity covered 45 km in 14 years. In June 2018, a dust storm ended Opportunity's mission.
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What types of discoveries did the Mars Exploration Rovers make?
The Mars Exploration Rovers, including Spirit and Opportunity, made significant discoveries about the past presence of water on Mars. Opportunity found rocks that appeared to have been formed at the shoreline of an ancient, salty body of water. Both rovers analyzed the chemical and physical composition of the Martian surface, searching for evidence that the planet might have once supported life. Designed for a 90-day mission, they continued to function for years, with Opportunity covering a record 45 km (28 miles) over 14 years. Spirit got stuck in soft sandy soil in 2009 but continued as a stationary lander.
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How have the Mars Exploration Rovers helped us learn about the possibility of water on Mars?
The Mars Exploration Rovers, including Spirit and Opportunity, significantly contributed to our understanding of the possibility of water on Mars. Launched in 2003, these rovers were designed to study the chemical and physical composition of the Martian surface to determine if water ever existed on the planet and to search for signs that it might have supported life.
Both rovers found evidence of past water. Opportunity's discovery of rocks that appeared to have been laid down at the shoreline of an ancient body of salty water was particularly significant. Although designed for a 90-day mission, the rovers operated for several years, providing extensive data supporting the idea that Mars had a watery past. NASA concluded that water historically existed on Mars in sufficient quantities to sustain microbial life.
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Mars Exploration Rover, either of a pair of U.S. robotic vehicles that explored the surface of Mars from January 2004 to June 2018. The mission of each rover was to study the chemical and physical composition of the surface at various locations in order to help determine whether water had ever existed on the planet and to search for other signs that the planet might have supported some form of life.
The twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, were launched on June 10 and July 7, 2003, respectively. Spirit touched down in Gusev crater on January 3, 2004. Three weeks later, on January 24, Opportunity landed in a crater on the equatorial plain called Meridiani Planum, on the opposite side of the planet. Both six-wheeled 174-kg (380-pound) rovers were equipped with cameras and a suite of instruments that included a microscopic imager, a rock-grinding tool, and infrared, gamma-ray, and alpha-particle spectrometers that analyzed the rocks, soil, and dust around their landing sites.
The landing sites were chosen because they appeared to have been affected by water in Mars’s past. Both rovers found evidence of past water; perhaps the most dramatic was the discovery by Opportunity of rocks that appeared to have been laid down at the shoreline of an ancient body of salty water.
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Each rover was designed for a nominal 90-day mission but functioned so well that operations were extended several times. NASA finally decided to continue operating the two rovers until they failed to respond to commands from Earth. In August 2005 Spirit reached the summit of Husband Hill, 82 metres (269 feet) above the Gusev crater plain. Spirit and Opportunity continued to work even after a significant Martian dust storm in 2007 coated their solar cells. Opportunity entered Victoria crater, an impact crater roughly 800 metres (2,600 feet) in diameter and 70 metres (230 feet) deep, on September 11, 2007, on the riskiest trek yet for either of the rovers. On August 28, 2008, Opportunity emerged from Victoria crater and set off on a 12-km (7-mile) journey to the much larger (22 km [14 miles] in diameter) Endeavour crater.
In May 2009 Spirit became stuck in soft sandy soil; its wheels were unable to gain any traction. Scientists on Earth strove for months to free the rover, sending it commands to move in various directions, but without success, and in January 2010 NASA decided that Spirit would work from then on as a stationary lander. The rover had traveled more than 7.7 km (4.8 miles) in its mobile lifetime. On March 22, 2010, Spirit ceased transmitting to Earth, and NASA considered it to be dead. By that time its twin, Opportunity, had driven more than 20 km (12.4 miles).
Opportunity continued to explore the Martian surface. The rover arrived at the edge of Endeavour crater on August 9, 2011, and traveled along the crater rim for the rest of its mission. In June 2018 a planetwide dust storm covered Mars, and the last transmission from Opportunity was received on June 10. In February 2019, after months of unsuccessful attempts to contact Opportunity, NASA announced that the rover was dead. Opportunity had covered 45 km (28 miles) over 14 years, which were records for distance driven and mission time spent on another planet.