SPACE — On January 3, 2004, NASA’s Spirit rover landed on Mars. The rover robot, also known as Mars Exploration Rover 2, is NASA’s twin rover that was the first to land on the Red Planet. Its twin is called Opportunity.
Spirit landed in the Gusev crater, where scientists believe to be the bottom of an old lake that once contained water. NASA named the landing site Columbia Memorial Station.
The name honors the seven astronauts who died in the space shuttle Columbia disaster. The aircraft exploded on its 28th mission on February 1, 2003.
Spirit is designed to only last 90 days on Mars because of the unknown terrain. But surprisingly, Mars was suitable for explorers and Spirit survived more than six years.
Also Read: Today’s History: Allan Hills Meteorite Thrown from Mars Found in Antarctica
Spirit’s mission ended in 2011 after getting stuck in deep Martian sand. Since then, he has rested peacefully in a blanket of red sand. Source: Space.com
2024-01-03 14:21:00
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