Right this moment in historical past of astronomy, Alternative’s 15 years on Mars start.
This selfie of Alternative was shot from above, showcasing the rover’s photo voltaic panels. Its mission would finish in 2018 when a planet-wide storm coated these panels in mud. Credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.
Three weeks after the Spirit rover touched down on Mars, its twin rover, Alternative, landed on the other aspect of the Pink Planet. Its descent was recognized at NASA because the “six minutes of terror,” throughout which it needed to make use of a parachute and retrorockets to decelerate nearly utterly from 11,800 mph (18,900 km/h) earlier than impacting the floor. The landing was profitable, although: Encased protectively in airbags, Alternative hit the floor, bounced 26 occasions, and got here to relaxation. Fully by luck, that resting place was inside Eagle Crater within the midst of a number of scientific targets, which allowed Alternative to start its survey instantly when deployed. It could go on to discover Mars for the subsequent 15 years, overlaying over 28 miles of terrain, earlier than a extreme mud storm in June 2018 ended its mission.
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