What did the Mars Pathfinder find on Mars?
What did the Mars Pathfinder find on Mars?
Top Mars Pathfinder Science Findings Rounded pebbles and cobbles at the landing site, and other observations, suggested conglomerates that formed in running water during a warmer past in which liquid water was stable.
Why did they send Pathfinder to Mars?
The Mars Pathfinder mission, designed to demonstrate a low-cost method for delivering a set of science instruments to the Red Planet, was the first wheeled vehicle to be used on any other planet in the solar system and served as the foundation for the Mars rovers of today.
How long did the Pathfinder take to reach Mars?
6 to 7 months
The mission launch window is a 29-day period beginning on December 2, 1996. After launch, the spacecraft requires 6 to 7 months to reach Mars, depending upon the exact launch date.
What did Mars Pathfinder find out about Mars?
Top Mars Pathfinder Science Findings. Rounded pebbles and cobbles at the landing site, and other observations, suggested conglomerates that formed in running water during a warmer past in which liquid water was stable. Radio tracking of Mars Pathfinder provided a precise measure of the lander’s location and Mars’ pole of rotation.
Does NASA have a Mars Pathfinder replica?
The Pathfinder replica came in handy, for example, when NASA scientists discovered a bug in some of the computer code in the real thing, not long after it landed on Mars in 1997. They recreated the problem in the replica, and then worked out a way to debug it. The corrective instructions engineers sent to the Pathfinder on Mars fixed the bug.
What is a pathfinder NASA?
NASA Pathfinder. The NASA Pathfinder and NASA Pathfinder Plus were the first two aircraft developed as part of an evolutionary series of solar- and fuel-cell-system-powered unmanned aerial vehicles. AeroVironment, Inc. developed the vehicles under NASA’s Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program.