NASA announces rover Spirit has "six wheels in the dirt." Mars Exploration Rover Spirit successfully rolled off its lander platform and on to Martian soil. It didn't go far only about one meter, or three feet.
CNN reports that Spirit will stay put for a couple of days:
The first day we'll kind of hover over soil and take some microscopic images, and the second day we'll actually deploy the instruments on the soil, and then we'll swap instruments, and then we'll stow and get ready to drive.Project scientists have likened Spirit to a robotic geologist. The rover's mission is to study rocks and soil in an effort to determine whether the cold, desert world once was a warm, wet planet.
Spirit will first analyze rocks and soil near the lander, eventually making its way toward a large crater about 100 meters (300 feet) away. After exploring that area, the rover will literally "head for the hills," making its way toward an area called the "East Hill Complex."
NASA isn't certain Spirit can reach those hills. The rover was designed to be able to travel 600 meters.
The hills are five times that far away.
NASA deserves a big atta boy for Spirit! Can NASA perform an encore? Sprit's twin, Opportunity, is set to land on Mars a week from Saturday. Keep those fingers crossed.
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