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Mars Pathfinder Update - July 28, 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 28, 1997
                 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time

     The Mars Pathfinder lander and rover remain healthy and are 
continuing science experiments on the surface of Mars. The Earth 
rose over Mars on this Martian day -- Sol 24 -- at 12:48 a.m. 
PDT. The sun rose at 3:53 a.m. PDT.  

     The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera trained its lens 
on the sky today to photograph dust in the upper atmosphere and 
to search for clouds. IMP also imaged the wind socks onboard the 
Pathfinder lander to give scientists more information on wind 
direction and strength. Also included in today's photography 
session were images of Phobos, one of Mars' two small moons, and 
plans to image the Martian sunset later today.

     The flight team continued to downlink data for the super 
panorama of the landing site, which is being assembled by the IMP 
team, said Flight Director Guy Beutelschies. 

     Sojourner was awakened this morning with the pop song "Radar 
Love," and executed a 7-meter (23-foot) traverse, the longest 
trip yet to be completed. The rover began its journey near the 
rock "Souffle" and ended it near the rock called "Mini 
Matterhorn." Next the rover imaged the rock and then the lander. 
Plans for tomorrow (Sol 25) call for more imaging of "Mini 
Matterhorn," after which the rover will begin a new traverse 
toward a rock called "Mermaid."   

The Earth set at 2:23 p.m. PDT today and the sun will set at 
4:43 p.m. PDT.

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