YEAR 2004 NASA MARS LANDINGS "SPIRIT" & "OPPORTUNITY"

NASA will be landing spacecraft "Opportunity" on Mars on January 25 2004.

Spacecraft Opportunity will be landing in the Martian Flatlands called the "Meridiani Planum", two degrees south of the Martian equator and on the opposite side of Mars compared to the location of spacecraft "Spirit" which landed on the Martian equator on January 3, 2004. The Meridiani Planum is rich in iron oxide (hematite) the presence of which leads scientists to suspect that water once existed in the Meridiani Planum area.

NASA landed Spacecraft "Spirit" on Mars on January 3 2004. "Opportunity"'s lander will release a golf cart size six wheeled rover which will also be called "Opportunity"; "Spirit"'s lander has already released an golf cart size six wheeled rover called "Spirit" (the spacecraft landed by NASA in 1997 was named "Pathfinder" but the rover it released was named "Sojourner".

The table below supplies key facts regarding unique characteristics of "Opportunity" and "Spirit", what they have in common, and previous failed and succesful attempts at Mars exploration.

MARS SPACECRAFT HISTORY AND FACTS
USA NASA
SPACECRAFT
"OPPORTUNITY"
Launch date: July 7, 2003
Mars landing: January 25, 2004
Duration Journey to Mars: 202 days
Distance covered per day to Mars: 1.49 million miles
Speed on journey to Mars: 62,000 mph
Mars landing spot: Meridiani Planum (once wet with water?)





USA NASA
SPACECRAFT
"SPIRIT"
Launch date: June 10 2003
Mars landing: January 3 2003
Duration Journey to Mars: 207 days
Distance covered per day to Mars: 1.45 million miles
Speed on journey to Mars: 60,000 mph
Starts roving/testing Mars: January 11 2004
Ends roving/testing Mars: April 14 2004
Mars landing spot: Gusev Crater CT size bowl (dried up lake?)
 





THINGS "SPIRIT" &
"OPPORTUNITY HAVE
IN COMMON
Distance to Mars: 300 million miles
Distance covered/day on Mars: 100 yds
mobile geo studies on Mars last 90 days
Main purpose: testing  for history of water on Mars
Price: $400 million
No Wheels: 6
Contents: cameras, geo instruments
Size: golf cart size
 





USA NASA SPACECRAFT
"PATHFINDER"
Launch Date: 1997
Distance covered/day on Mars: 1 yd

 





USA NASA SPACECRAFT
"VIKING 1" & "VIKING 2"
Launch date: 1976

 





UNSUCCESFUL ATTEMPTS
AT MARS LANDINGS
First attempt: 1971
# unsuccessful attempts: 13

 












@2004 David Virgil Hobbs




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