Launched on December 4, 1996, Mars Pathfinder demonstrated a number of innovative, economical, and highly effective approaches to spacecraft and planetary mission design.
In addition to the engineering feat of landing on Mars, the mission also served as a demonstration of key technologies and concepts for use in future missions to Mars.
MISSION OBJECTIVES The primary objective was to demonstrate a low-cost method of delivering a set of science instruments and a free-ranging rover to the surface of Mars. The rover conducted technology experiments and served as an instrument deployment mechanism.
The science objectives were to:
Investigate Martian atmosphere, surface metrology and geology
Characterize surface features
Analyze the elemental composition of rocks and soil at the landing site
Monitor atmospheric conditions as they varied over the course of the mission with photographic and analytical instruments
MISSION RESULTS Pathfinder arrived on Mars on July 4, 1997, slowed in its descent by a system of parachutes and retro-rockets, falling freely the last few hundred feet, and bouncing on its inflated airbags over the Martian surface like a basketball. The airbags deflated, the petals of the lander opened, and the rover descended and began exploring and analyzing nearby rocks. The engineering design far exceeded expectations. Pathfinder's lander operated nearly three times longer than its design lifetime of 30 days, and the Sojourner rover operated 12 times its design lifetime of seven days. After sending back thousands of images and measurements, the mission ended on September 27, 1997.
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MISSION MANAGEMENT Mars Pathfinder was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA. Dr. Matt Golombek of JPL was the Project Scientist.
For complete information about the Mars Pathfinder mission, including the archive of all images, visit their award-winning home page.
