A Brief History of NASA's Mars Robotic Exploration Rovers

摘要

Sojourner- Launched in 1996 with companion Pathfinder orbital explorer. Rover landed July 4, 1997.Sojourner successfully captured images of the Martian surface until communications with the rover were lost in September 1997. Opportunity and Spirit- Both Mars Exploration Rovers were launched within a month of each other in 2003 and landed successfully in 2004. As of the end of 2012, Opportunity continues to function as a remote-controlled explorer, far surpassing its original mission duration. Spirit, which also operated long after its original mission end date had passed, became stuck in the sand in 2010 and operated for a short time as a stationary science platform before NASA lost communication with it in May 2010.