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The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired this navigation camera image on the 72nd martian day, or sol, of its mission (March 15, 2004), after digging its wheel into the drift dubbed "Serpent." Creating the commands that would generate this "scar" was not an easy task for rover controllers. Essentially, they had to choreograph an intricate dance for Spirit, maneuvering it up the side of the dune, shimmying its left front wheel a number of times to create the scuff, and then reversing to attain proper positioning for miniature thermal emission spectrometer observations. Before the task was finished, Spirit moved forward...

<p>PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - The NASA rover Opportunity turned a camera skyward to photograph Mars' moon Deimos eclipsing the sun and also carried out the most complex movements yet of its robotic arm to record microscopic images of a rock, Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Thursday.</p>

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Speculation was rife on Monday that space scientists were on the verge of announcing they had discovered evidence that Mars was once a wet and warm planet, possibly capable of sustaining microscopic life forms. Officials with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that Mars scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, were flying to Washington for a "significant" announcement, but shied away from saying what it would be. "I can't confirm what they are going to say ... just that it's a significant ... finding," by the rover Opportunity, JPL spokesman Guy Webster...

Nasa scientists say hundreds of computer files that have accumulated on the Mars rover Spirit may be the cause of problems that have crippled it. These "cruise files" will now be deleted from the second Mars rover Opportunity before it rolls on to Mars to begin its science mission. The Spirit rover suffered a major malfunction on Thursday 22 January causing a loss of contact with Earth. Opportunity landed on Sunday and is apparently in excellent health. Surface development manager for Spirit, Jennifer Trosper, said the problem involved two types of memory used by Spirit: Ram and flash. Contact re-established...

The crippled Spirit rover remains in critical condition on the surface of Mars, engineers said today, the victim of ongoing electronic seizures that have caused its central computer to reboot itself more than 60 times over the past two days. Engineers successfully coaxed the rover to beam back limited engineering data during two brief communications sessions and they were relieved to discover the spacecraft's power system was providing the necessary life support. But Spirit's state of mind was clearly - and unusually - different in both sessions, ruling out any simple explanations for what might have gone wrong. "We have...

Controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory believe the Mars rover Spirit has placed itself into "safe-mode" after experiencing some sort of problem, and officials remain hopeful that engineers can coax the craft back into operation. "We are cautiously encouraged," JPL director Charles Elachi said on NASA Television a short time ago. "We are still concerned until we understand the problem and we address it." Spirit abruptly stopped relaying its scientific and health data to Earth on Wednesday, sending a streak of fear through Mission Control when the rover went silent. But earlier today, a signal was sent from Earth to...

The first use of the tools on the arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit reveals puzzles about the soil it examined and raises anticipation about what the tool will find during its studies of a martian rock. Today and overnight tonight, Spirit is using its microscope and two up-close spectrometers on a football-sized rock called Adirondack, said Jennifer Trosper, mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We're really happy with the way the spacecraft continues to work for us," Trosper said. The large amount of data -- nearly 100 megabits -- transmitted from Spirit in a single...

Java runs remote-controlled Mars rover Reuters January 16, 2004, 6:20 AM PT The same piece of software that lets people around the world play video games on their cell phones is now letting scientists drive the ultimate remote-controlled car across the surface of Mars. Java, the software developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid-1990s as a universal operating system for Internet applications, gave NASA a low-cost and easy-to-use option for running Spirit, the robotic rover that rolled onto the planet's surface on Thursday in search of signs of water and life. For the next three months, NASA scientists and engineers...

If you’re marveling over the incredibly detailed pictures of Mars sent back to Earth by Spirit, the Mars Exploration Rover, prepare to be blown away by what you can do with these images right on your own Mac. All you need is Maestro, a scientific visualization tool created by the scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to work with the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. During the 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission, you can download a free copy of Maestro for Mac OS X from NASA JPL that allows you to see Mars in ways you’ve never imagined. “It’s actually...

PASADENA, Calif. - The Spirit rover's path to the surface of Mars remains blocked by airbags and it will have to turn and use a secondary ramp, but while still parked it has revealed the presence of minerals that may have formed in a lake believed to have once filled the landing site, NASA (news - web sites) said Friday. The first indications of the geologic makeup of Spirit's surroundings could support theories that liquid water persisted on the surface of the planet during its ancient past, providing an environment conducive to life. Scientists stressed that finding the minerals, called...

Sleepy Hollow," a shallow depression in the Mars ground near NASA's Spirit rover, may become an early destination when the rover drives off its lander platform in a week or so. That possible crater and other features delighted engineers and scientists examining pictures from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's first look around. Press Releases January 5, 2004 Mars Team Energized About "Sleepy Hollow" Near Rover "Sleepy Hollow," a shallow depression in the Mars ground near NASA's Spirit rover, may become an early destination when the rover drives off its lander platform in a week or so. That possible crater and...

The spirit spacecraft is preparing to turn its heat-shield to enter the Martian atmosphere at 7:04 PST. Live JPL Coverage.

Step-by-Step Guide to Entry, Descent, and Landing.On the evening of January 3, 2004, Spirit is scheduled to land on Mars. Here's a step-by-step guide to what will happen. To watch mission controllers live during entry, descent and landing, please tune into NASA TV at 6:45 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

From early astronomy and Leonardo Da Vinci's flying contraptions to World War II planes and Mars rovers, the City of Lancaster Musuem/Art Gallery's newest exhibition, "Cosmic Adventures - Space, Science and Technology," is a comprehensive look at the history of flight as well as Antelope Valley's own aviation and aerospace history. Opening with a reception from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday , the exhibit will continue through Jan. 11. Made possible by a grant from The Boeing Co. and the Boeing Employees Community Fund, the exhibit will feature displays from Boeing, the World War II 475th Fighter Group, Air Museum...

Robotic Rockhounds: Twin Mars Rovers to Use High-Tech ToolsBy Tariq MalikStaff Writerposted: 07:00 am ET16 April 2003 The first geologists on Mars are not going to be humans of flesh and bone, but robot automatons of metal and wheels.This summer, NASA plans to launch the Mars Exploration Rovers mission (MER), sending a pair of robotic twins into space. If all goes well, the six-wheeled rovers will be rolling around the Red Planet sometime in January 2003. While there are some similarities to Mars Pathfinder, NASA's 1997 lander that deployed the small Sojourner rover, the MER mission is far from...