Return to Mars (in 3-D)
Photographs by NASA
Text by William R. Newcott
The Pathfinder lander transmitted its last data on September 27, 1997. Wild Martian temperature changes probably caused a wire to snap or a soldering point to crack. The solar-powered rover—Sojourner—may still be rolling around, using its laser eyes to dodge rocks as it circles the lander like an orphaned pup. More likely, the rover has at some point sensed itself in a precarious position and placed itself on hold, waiting for instructions that will never come.
By 27 September the rover had covered about 110 yards of terrain and taken 16 readings that analyzed the rocks and soil of Mars. The lander and rover sent back more than 17,000 images. Almost daily weather recordings tracked temperature, air pressure, and wind speed and direction, including several small, swirling dust devils passing right over the lander. "In short," said a NASA spokesman, "we have explored about 240 square yards of Mars."
Read about the new information recorded by the Pathfinder mission and view the surface of the Red Planet in black and white, color, and as three-dimensional scenes.
NGM 1998/08