[meteorite-list] NASA's 'Spirit' Rises on its Way to Mars

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:36 2004
Message-ID: <200306102033.NAA24388_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

Veronica McGregor (818) 354-9452
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Don Savage (202) 358-1727
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

News Release: 2003-084
June 10, 2003
     
NASA's 'Spirit' Rises on its Way to Mars

A NASA robotic geologist named Spirit began its seven-month journey to
Mars at 1:58:47 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (10:58:47 a.m. Pacific
Daylight Time) today when its Delta II launch vehicle thundered aloft
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

The spacecraft, first of a twin pair in NASA's Mars Exploration Rover
project, separated successfully from the Delta's third stage about 36
minutes after launch, while over the Indian Ocean. Flight controllers
at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., received a
signal from the spacecraft at 2:48 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (11:48
a.m. Pacific Daylight Time) via the Canberra, Australia, antenna
complex of NASA's Deep Space Network. All systems are operating as
expected.

Spirit will roam a landing area on Mars that bears evidence of a wet
history. The rover will examine rocks and soil for clues to whether
the site may have been a hospitable place for life. Spirit's twin,
Opportunity, which is being prepared for launch as early as 12:38 a.m.
Eastern Daylight Time (9:38 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time) June 25, will
be targeted to a separate site with different signs of a watery past.

"We have plenty of challenges ahead, but this launch went so well,
we're delighted," said JPL's Pete Theisinger, project manager for the
Mars Exploration Rover missions.

The spacecraft's cruise-phase schedule before arriving at Mars next
Jan. 4, Universal Time (Jan. 3 in Eastern and Pacific time zones),
includes a series of tests and calibrations, plus six opportunities
for maneuvers to adjust its trajectory. JPL, a division of the
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars
Exploration Rover project for the NASA Office of Space Science,
Washington, D.C.

Information about the rovers and the scientific instruments they carry
is available online from JPL at

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer

and from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., at

http://athena.cornell.edu/ .

-end-
Received on Tue 10 Jun 2003 04:33:06 PM PDT