6D · MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2004 · USA TODAY Science Panoramic cameras Panoramic cameras Roaming rovers Provides high-resolution color panoramas of the Martian surface. Its resolution is more than three The two NASA rovers — Spirit and Opportunity — will take panoramic images of Mars. times more powerful than previous rovers’. Images The cameras will provide 360-degree views of the terrain. These will allow scientists to will help select rock and soil targets for future study. select promising geological targets. Then the rovers will drive to those locations to perform scientific investigations during their 90-day mission. Each 380-pound rover could travel as far as 100 yards in one day. Navigation cameras The long journey Images help scientists decide what rock and soils to After six months and 25 days, analyze. Minithermal the first Mars exploration emission rover has arrived on Mars. spectrometer (at rear) Records the thermal spectra of various Arrivals rocks and soils, including infrared. Calibration targets Opportunity Spirit Fine-tunes observations High-gain antenna Jan. 25 Jan. 3 from imagers and science Dish points toward Earth to communicate instruments. with Deep Space Network. Mars orbit Solar arrays Provide power for driving the rover, operating the science instruments, heating the electronics box and recharging batteries. Earth Sun orbit Magnet arrays Collect airborne dust for analysis. Rock abrasion tool (RAT) Grinds rock to remove dust and weathered rock. Departures Mössbauer spectrometer Spirit Opportunity Checks for composition of Warm electronics box iron-bearing minerals in rock. July 10 June 10 Body of the rover is a heated container that protects vital electronics. 6-foot man 4-foot- 9-inch rover Rocker-bogie mobility system Microscopic Each wheel has an independent imager motor allowing easy mobility. Alpha particle X-ray Produces close-up spectrometer views of rocks Checks for elements that and soils to make up rocks and soils. determine their characteristics. Movements and agility Scientists based in NASA’s Jet TOP VIEW Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., control the rover’s movements. The team will analyze its data Rover’s transmissions, and while the rover rotational sleeps through the night, refine plans six-wheel for the next sol’s (a Martian day) drive activities. Rover scans for surface hazards Top speed for the rover is a cau- The suspension allows the rover Though it can withstand a 45- By moving the front wheels in and and gathers data to transmit to tious 2 inches per second, allow- to minimize rocking as it travels, degree tilt without overturning, back wheels out, the rover can Earth. It moves for 10 seconds, ing scientists to select the safest and safeguards its instruments the rover has 30-degree limita- rotate on a dime. The center stops and studies for 20 seconds. route. from shock. tions in its programming. wheels are drive only. Sources: NASA, JPL, Florida Today, GNS research By Jerald Council, Jef Dauber and Janet Loehrke, Gannett News Service For Mars lander scientists, nothing to say but it’s OK home away from home — an area they will And Spirit will study those rocks — at Beatles tune sets study for months. times using an arm to reach out and touch Scientists are thrilled with what they them for analysis — to try to answer ques- Spirit grooving have seen. “Home sweet home,” says tions about water and life on Mars. Steve Squyres, lead investigator. “This is Squyres chuckled at the thought of be- our new neighborhood.” ing able to reach out and touch a Martian across Red Planet Michael Watkins, one of the navigators, rock within just a few days: “That would called Spirit’s landing a “bull’s-eye” be- be cool.” By Dan Vergano and Robert Davis cause the craft entered the atmosphere He said Spirit’s neighborhood appears USA TODAY just 660 feet away from its target in the “a lot easier to drive on” than that faced by Connecticut-sized Gusev Crater. the Viking and Pathfinder probes. “It’s re- Everybody knows there’s nothing doing But exactly where the probe ended up markably devoid of big boulders. That is Everything is closed it’s like a ruin on the surface was still part of the scien- just glorious, because big boulders are Everyone you see is half asleep tific debate Sunday. Scientists must pin- something we have trouble driving over.” And you’re on your own you’re in the street point the location before sending signals. Which way to drive is one of the big Good morning, good morning . They zeroed in by comparing pictures questions facing the scientific team. Spirit took just before it landed with im- Better pictures will lead the way. Today — The Beatles ages that have been taken over the years the team expects to begin getting images (Good Morning, Good Morning ) by other craft orbiting Mars. that are 14 times sharper than Spirit’s “We know with great certainty that we early pictures. ppp are in the place where we absolutely “We will have to be a little bit cautious. wanted to be,” Squyres said. This is someplace that we’ve never been Tired but ecstatic, scientists began ex- That spot has more to do with accessi- before, so we are going to tread carefully,” ploring their new playground on Mars bility to rocks than breathtaking views. Squyres said. Sunday by blasting The Beatles in their “What we wanted was someplace Asked whether the dust devils pose a California control room and celebrating where Mother Nature has cleaned off the threat to Spirit, Squyres chortled. “As far new pictures from the Red Planet. rocks for us,” Squyres said, showing a pic- as a dust devil coming in and flipping our Their probe, Spirit, was awakened as the ture of the planet’s surface. “Those mar- rover over, nuh-uh. Ain’t going to happen,” scientists played Good Morning, Good velous snakelike features are dust-devil he said. In fact, the team hopes to spot one Morning and studied pictures the craft tracks. Dust devils (whirlwinds of dust) are with its sophisticated cameras to make “a took as it descended onto the planet Sat- good at swirling dust up off the surface and dust-devil movie.” NASA/JPL via AP urday night. The images provided the sci- cleaning up rocks.” “We hit the sweet spot,” he said. “There “Home sweet home”: The Mars probe Spirit has begun transmitting pictures from the entists with their first glimpse of their Rocks hold clues to the planet’s past. is some great stuff on the horizon.” Red Planet and is expected to begin sending higher-quality shots sometime today. The hows, whys and wheres of the latest Mars exploration NASA has cleared a giant hurdle in landing a rover A: Most likely bad luck and fewer re- Q: Does Spirit’s landing mean that the sources, Withers says. Any number of ac- Opportunity rover scheduled to land on Mars. USA TODAY’s Dan Vergano and Robert Davis cidents might have occurred, but Beagle 2 Jan. 24 also will land safely? lacked the stabilizing rockets Spirit had to A: Not surprisingly, NASA officials are look at this new chapter in space exploration. combat winds, and its airbags were not cautious and say Spirit’s landing went far the heavy-duty ones used by NASA, which better than expected. But new stabilizing Q: Where is Spirit right now? landing at best, NASA scientists say, so might have left it vulnerable to damage. rockets and landing camera systems per- A: As intended, Spirit appears close to Jan. 13 would be the soonest for “egress,” formed better than expected, “which the middle of Gusev Crater, a huge bowl in NASA-speak, from the landing craft. Q: What are scientists looking for gives everybody very high confidence,” that may have once held a lake. Scientists When Spirit landed, it was folded up with with Spirit? says Louis Friedman, head of the Planetary do know it rests upright — a very good its instruments turned off, so engineers A: Finding sedimentary rocks in what is Society, a space exploration advocacy thing — atop its landing craft and the de- and scientists are busy testing systems believed to be a dried lake in Gusev Crater group whose companion event to the flated airbags that cushioned its landing. and limbering up the rover while plotting would be a first step. The rover might have Spirit landing in Pasadena drew a stand- what path it should take on its three- to enter smaller craters to look for these ing-room-only crowd of 2,000. Q: What is it doing? month exploration. By Tuesday the rover layers of rock. A grinder would show cam- A: The priority now is pinpointing the should be up on its wheels. A 29-inch-high eras and other instruments whether Mars’ Q: What are the “Sol” days that scien- rover’s position and its exact heading so rock is on the right side of the landing water came from hot springs, a salty sea or tists mention when they say what time that its high-power antenna — a lollipop- craft, blocking one avenue to roll off, but some other source. Volcanic dust might it is on Mars? shaped object on its top — can be pointed overall the platform is tilted only about 2 NASA/JPL via AP have covered any sedimentary rock in the A: A Sol is a Martian day: 24 hours, 39 toward Earth. That antenna will allow sci- degrees, convenient for egress. Safe landing: Rover as seen on Saturday crater, and scientists hope examination of minutes, 35 seconds. About 40 members entists to communicate directly with Spir- by its navigation camera.