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Mars Pathfinder Update - July 26, 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 26, 1997
3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time

        The Mars Pathfinder lander and rover remain healthy and are 
continuing to carry out science experiments on this Martian day, Sol 
22.     Today the Earth rose over Mars at 11:28 p.m. PDT July 25. The 
sun rose today at 2:33 a.m. PDT.

        Sojourner's self-guided journey to the rock "Souffle" was 
interrupted briefly by a software sequencing error, which was 
identified and corrected immediately. A sequencing error is easily 
corrected by modifying the numerical coding in the program responsible 
for executing the command, just as a computer user would modify coding 
in a program that runs the main menu or desktop functions of a 
personal computer. 
 
        "The problem was corrected immediately and a new sequence was 
radiated to the rover during the second downlink session," said Becky 
Manning, flight director for Sol 22. "By the end of that session, 
ground controllers had received confirmation that the rover had 
successfully received and was executing the instructions to continue 
its traverse to Souffle."

        Sojourner will leave Souffle on Sol 23 and circumnavigate the 
lander.  When that journey has been completed, the rover will be in 
the vicinity of three new rocks named "Baker Bench," "Desert Princess" 
and "Marvin."

        The Mars Pathfinder lander imager (IMP) returned more data 
from the "insurance" panorama and "super" panorama today.  It is 
preparing to take the standard end-of-the-day photograph of the rover 
before surface operations conclude in 30 minutes. 

        On Sol 22, the Earth set over Mars at 1:04 p.m. today.  The 
sun will set in about 25 minutes, at 3:25 p.m. PDT.

        An audio briefing on Mars Pathfinder activities is updated at 
the conclusion of each Martian day by calling 1-800-391-6654.

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