1st of Mars Rovers Finishes Mission
Posted on: Wednesday, 4 August 2004, 06:00 CDT
NASA's Spirit rover wrapped up its primary mission to Mars on Monday as it continued to roll across the planet's surface on an extended tour that could last through September.
By Monday, Spirit's 90th full day on Mars, the unmanned robot and its twin, Opportunity, had accomplished nearly all of the tasks required for NASA to consider their joint mission a full success.
"Spirit has completed its part of the bargain and Opportunity doesn't have much left to do," said Mark Adler, manager of the $820 million double mission at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
The tasks included a requirement that one of the rovers travel at least 1,980 feet -- a mark Spirit surpassed on Saturday.
Between the two of them, the rovers also had to take stereo and color panoramas of their surroundings, drive to at least eight different locations and operate simultaneously for a minimum of 30 days.
Despite computer memory problems that left Spirit sidelined for 2 1/2 weeks, it has still spent more days at work than expected, Adler said.
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