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MER
MER
MER
Mars Exploration Rover
Credit: NASA
American Mars lander. NASA's rover mission design for the 2003 Mars launch opportunity.

AKA: Mars Exploration Rover;Opportunity;Spirit. Status: Operational 2003. First Launch: 2003-06-10. Last Launch: 2003-07-08. Number: 2 . Gross mass: 1,063 kg (2,343 lb).

Two separate launches of Mars Exploration Rover spacecraft were made on June 10 and July 8, 2003, with the objective of landing two rovers to separate sites on Mars in January 2004.

Primary among the mission's scientific goals was to search for and characterize a wide range of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water activity on Mars. The spacecraft were targeted to sites that appear to have been affected by liquid water in the past.

After the airbag-protected landing craft settled onto the surface and open, the rovers were to roll out to take panoramic images. These would give scientists the information they needed to select promising geological targets that would tell part of the story of water in Mars' past. Then, the rovers would drive to those locations to perform on-site scientific investigations over the course of their 90-day mission.

The primary science instruments carried by the rovers were:

A goal for the rover was to drive up to 40 meters in a single day, for a total of up to one 1 kilometer. Moving from place to place, the rovers would perform on-site geological investigations. The mast-mounted cameras were mounted 1.5 meters high and provided 360-degree, stereoscopic, human-like views of the terrain. The robotic arm was capable of movement in much the same way as a human arm with an elbow and wrist, and would place instruments directly up against rock and soil targets of interest. In the mechanical "fist" of the arm was a microscopic camera that would serve the same purpose as a geologist's handheld magnifying lens. The Rock Abrasion Tool served the purpose of a geologist's rock hammer to expose the insides of rocks.

The spacecraft consisted of:

The Mars Exploration Rover had a total launch mass of 1,063 kilograms broken down as follows:

Electric System: 0.30 average kW.



Subtopics

Mars Exploration Rover A, B (MER A, B / Spirit / Opportunity) Null

Family: Mars lander. Country: USA. Launch Vehicles: Thor, Delta, Delta 2 7000, Delta 7925, Delta 7925-9.5, Delta 7920H, Delta 7925H. Projects: Mars. Launch Sites: Cape Canaveral, Cape Canaveral LC17B, Cape Canaveral LC17A. Agency: JPL, NASA. Bibliography: 2, 3910, 3911, 3912.
Photo Gallery

Opportunity (Mars ExOpportunity (Mars Ex
Credit: Manufacturer Image



2003 June 10 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. Launch Pad: SLC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7925-9.5.
2003 July 8 - . 04:18 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. Launch Pad: SLC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7925H.
2004 January 3 - .
2004 January 4 - .
2004 January 15 - .
2004 January 25 - .
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