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triviagasm

The Triumphant Journeys of Martian Robots

Since 1960 we've been attempting to explore the red planet, and along the way there have been countless failures and lost spacecraft that attest to just how hard it is to fly those 35 million miles from here to there. However, there have also been success stories, like the twin rovers Opportunity and Spirit, who have both overcome mechanical problems, braved dust storms, and sent back enormous amounts of data. Today, after being threatened with a shutdown due to budget cuts, the Martian rovers got a reprieve. They'll be rolling along for many months to come. To celebrate, check out our list of Martian robots and landers who have already served their robotic duty as our slaves, erm we mean allies, on the red planet. More »

3:11 PM on Tue Mar 25 2008
By Kevin Kelly
796 views, 7 comments

Latest by IchabodCrane: I think we should go back and investigate those places where a lander "crashed" Those are the places the where more »

mission to mars

Looking for Life on Mars with the Next Generation Rover

Definitely one of the coolest symposia at AAAS was the one this afternoon devoted to the Martian rovers — past, present, and future. On the panel were NASA's Richard Cook, who helped design Spirit and Opportunity as well as the next Martian rover; Steven Squyres, a Cornell geologist who has been working with Spirit and Opportunity to get as many geological samples as he can while the rovers survive; and Andrew Knoll, a Harvard planetologist who has studied the evidence for Martian water extensively (including whether it could support life as we know it). I've got highlights from the panel below, plus a giant gallery of pictures of a life-sized model of the new rover, the Mars Science Lab Rover (MSL), which will be blasting off late next year and landing on the red planet in 2010. More »

5:45 PM on Fri Feb 15 2008
By Annalee Newitz
1,556 views, 9 comments

Latest by Pouncer: Spirit and Opportunity are complete and total champions. The actual duration of their activity on Mars, compared to the planned more »

Mars rover Opportunity is soldiering bravely onward, despite a crippling injury. Reports of a broken rock grinder and troubles with the infrared spectrometer make it sound like the machine is blinded and helpless while scientists try and work out a fix.

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