Alien Robots That Left Their Mark on Mars
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It was the first planetary mission to use the exciting Sky Crane maneuver; the first to shoot lasers (for science); it's even the first nuclear powered rover to put tread marks into Martian dirt. But it certainly isn't the first rover on the Red Planet two generations of Mars rover came before it,[url=http://www.article-web.co.uk/category/hermes-belts/]Hermes Belts[/url]. And the numerous stationary landers have also left their mark.
To any hypothetical Martians on the Red Planet,[url=http://www.masterclass-detailing.co.uk/category/ralph-lauren-polo/]Ralph Lauren Polo[/url], it may look like an alien invasion is underway but these aliens come from the Blue Planet and they seem to insist on sending wave after wave of increasingly sophisticated robotic probes that dig,[url=http://www.article-web.co.uk/category/hermes-handbags/]Hermes Handbags[/url], burn, scour and damage their pristine landscape! So,[url=http://www.masterclass-detailing.co.uk/category/cheap-polo-shirts/]Cheap Polo Shirts[/url], as we watch the incredible Curiosity rover dominate Gale Crater, it's time to take a step back and contemplate how these surface missions have changed the Martian landscape.
The First Rove
As we ooh and aah over Curiosity's plus sized wheel marks, it's time to turn the clock back to 1997 when a 2 foot long wheeled robot made its first, tentative sojourn onto Mars.
NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission was the first successful rover mission to the Red Planet (the first attempts were the Soviet Mars 2 and Mars 3 surface missions in 1971 both failed) that saw the Sojourner rover explore its landing site for over 80 days after landing on July 4. Its primary mission was only seven days. 25, 2004. As the rover continues to explore the Red Planet, notching up over 20 miles on the odometer (so far!),[url=http://www.article-web.co.uk/category/hermes-wallet/]Hermes Wallet[/url], it has also left an impressive history of tire tracks. Amazingly,[url=http://www.article-web.co.uk/category/hermes-online-sale/]Hermes Online sale[/url], these tracks can be seen from orbit and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been able to keep a close eye over its roving cousin from space using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera.
In this orbital snapshot, Opportunity can be seen at the edge of Victoria Crater (in 2006), plus wheel tracks. Like Sojourner,[url=http://www.article-web.co.uk/category/discount-hermes-bags/]Discount Hermes Bags[/url], these tracks are not permanent, Mars' weather will erode them over time. 4,[url=http://www.article-web.co.uk/category/hermes-birkin-bag/]Hermes Birkin Bag[/url], 2004. Sadly, after becoming immobilized in a sand trap inside Gusev Crater in 2009,[url=http://www.masterclass-detailing.co.uk/category/ralph-lauren-polo-outlet/]Ralph Lauren Polo Outlet[/url], rescue attempts failed and the rover was confirmed lost after it stopped transmitting in March 2010.
Spirit didn't travel as far as Opportunity logging nearly 5 miles and had a harder time on the surface of Mars. Early in the mission on March 13, 2006, one of the rover's wheels ceased working, forcing rover drivers to drive Spirit backwards, dragging the dead wheel behind it.
Serendipitously, the frozen wheel became a handy trench digger, creating a deep groove in the loose top soil as it roved. Material that would have otherwise been inaccessible could be glimpsed. Spirit's roving tracks will therefore likely remain visible on Mars for some time to come due to a sticky wheel.
Laser Tattooing Rocks
Although tagging rocks with circles is certainly cool (and of high scientific merit), the new rover on the Mars block has been outfitted with an instrument to laser blast rocks with.
Curiosity's ChemCam instrument mounted atop its mast can shoot rocks at a distance with a powerful laser beam, burning the surface layers. The resulting flash of light contains information about the rock's constituents, which ChemCam analyzes. The 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission, for example, touched down with a bounce airbags were deployed, ensuring a cushioned impact with the ground after descent through the atmosphere.
Airbags were also deployed during the landings of Spirit and Opportunity in January 2004. In this photograph, Opportunity retraced its bounce marks to see impressions of the airbags preserved in the Martian regolith. The bags' seams can be seen.
During the powered landing of the rover, the Sky Crane's rocket powered assembly delivered a huge amount of thrust to make sure Curiosity had a soft landing (air bags aren't a viable landing method when delivering a rover the size of a car). Although debris was blown atop the rover, potentially damaging a wind sensor, the maneuver was a resounding success.
But evidence of the landing has been spied around the rover. Areas of excavated material, creating shallow craters, surrounded the rover after landing. This ended up being a fortuitous event loose surface layers of dust and gravel were blown away, exposing the bedrock of Gale Crater.

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