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Mars Pathfinder Update #2 - July 4, 1997

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

              Mars Pathfinder Mission Status
                       July 4, 1997
                   4 p.m. Pacific Time

     Mars Pathfinder successfully landed on the surface of Mars 
at 10:07:25 a.m. Pacific time, marking NASA's historic return to 
the red planet after more than 20 years.   

     The Pathfinder flight team received nearly instantaneous 
confirmation that the spacecraft had landed from an independent 
antenna mounted on one of the spacecraft's petals. Detection of 
the very weak signal, which came as a surprise,  also indicated 
that the craft had landed on its base petal, thus eliminating the 
spacecraft's next task: to stand itself upright before deploying 
its petals. 

     Approximately 90 minutes after landing, engineering data 
indicated that Pathfinder had fully deployed its petals and was 
awaiting sunrise on Mars to power up. The flight team reported 
that the lander came to rest about 12 miles southwest of its 
targeted landing spot and was resting on the surface at a very 
slight tilt of about 2.5 degrees. 

     Pathfinder's first low-gain antenna transmission was 
received right on time at 2:07 p.m. PDT. The transmission 
contained preliminary information about the health of the 
spacecraft and rover, the spacecraft's orientation on the 
surface, data about its entry, descent and landing, and a first 
look at the density and temperatures of the Martian atmosphere.
 
     Preliminary data from the atmospheric science instrument 
indicated that temperatures are somewhat warmer than they were in 
the Viking days of the mid-1970s. Dr. Timothy Schofield, 
principal investigator of the atmospheric science team, said 
early data suggested it was about minus 220 degrees Celsius 
(minus 64 degrees Fahrenheit) at the landing site. 

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