Both Mars Rovers Operational As 1-Year Anniversary Nears

摘要

After nearly one year of rolling and scrambling up Husband Hill, NASA's Mars rover Spirit is headed back down towards new and rocky pastures. The rover is making its way down Husband's slopes toward a basin to the south, where a science target known as Home Plate awaits. "It is a big step," said Steve Squyres, principal investigator of the rover's science mission at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "We've really switched gears." Spirit's descent marks a new phase of the rover's Mars exploration, which has carried it across the plains and up one hill of its Gusev Crater landing site, Squyres said. Meanwhile, Opportunity -Spirit's robotic partner in Mars exploration - has overcome a series of glitches as it roves around a wide crater dubbed Erebus on the other side of the red planet.