Mars Pathfinder:
Mars Pathfinder demonstrated a number of innovative, economical, and highly effective
approaches to spacecraft and mission design of a planetary landing mission.
The second
of the
Discovery Program
missions, development of the spacecraft and free-ranging surface rover was limited to 3
years and $150 million. No orbiter was used to scout a landing site and deliver the lander
to the surface. Rather, the microrover, named Sojourner, was encased in a self-righting
tetrahedral lander, which, in turn, was encapsulated in an aeroshell designed to withstand
atmospheric entry.
From
Viking photos, a landing site had
been pre-selected. Slowed in its descent by a system of parachutes and retro-rockets, the
lander/rover then fell freely the last few hundred feet, bouncing on its inflated airbags over
the Martian surface like a basketball. The airbags deflated, the petals of the lander
opened, and the rover descended and began exploring and analyzing nearby rocks. The
engineering design far exceeded expectations.
Pathfinder's lander, named for the late Dr. Carl
Sagan, operated nearly three times its design lifetime of 30 days, and
the Sojourner rover operated 12 times its design lifetime of seven days.
Read More About Mars Pathfinder
Visit the Mars Pathfinder Website
The rover was named in honor of Sojourner Truth (right), a 19th century abolitionist and champion of women's rights.
