NASA lands Spirit probe on Mars, first signal to Earth скачать в хорошем качестве

NASA lands Spirit probe on Mars, first signal to Earth

(4 Jan 2004) NASA Pasadena, California - Jet Propulsion Laboratory 3 January 2004 1. Wide of exterior of NASA Mars Rover Control room 2. Various of flight crew waiting to hear if "Spirit" landed according to plan, communications on parachutes deployment and landing, crew cheers 3. NASA Animation - Artist's view of "Spirit" arriving on the Martian surface 4. Various of flight crew continuing to wait for word from Spirit 5. NASA Animation - "Spirit's" protective covering gives way as solar panels open up for power 6. Various of communications on first signal, crew cheering and congratulating each other when contact is made with "Spirit" STORYLINE: A NASA rover plunged through the atmosphere of Mars and bounced down upon its rocky surface Saturday night, beginning a mission to roam the Red Planet in search of evidence that it was once suitable for life. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory let out whoops of joy and embraced one another as signals from the Spirit rover indicated it had survived the landing. The rover relied on a heat shield, parachute and rockets to slow its descent to Mars. Eight seconds before landing, a giant set of air bags inflated to cushion its bouncy landing. But up until the landing everything was proceeding flawlessly, with Spirit appearing on track to make a "bull's-eye" landing within a cigar-shaped ellipse inside Gusev Crater, a Connecticut-sized indentation just south of the Martian equator. When the spacecraft hit the surface of the planet, a signal came back indicating that "Spirit" was functioning and then all contact was lost. For another eight minutes, the ground crew waited to hear from the 387 pound spacecraft and finally the signal came through that all had apparently gone according to plan. Spirit was expected to emerge from inside the flowerlike lander within its first 90 minutes on Mars, after it retracts the air bags that cushioned its landing. Spirit also should deploy its solar arrays during that time. The lander was standing upright, which will make unfolding it easier, said Chris Jones, director of planetary flight programs at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Spirit is one of two-identical six-wheeled robots expected to roam the planet for 90 days, analyzing Martian rocks and soil for clues that could reveal whether the planet was ever a warmer, wetter place capable of sustaining life. Mission officials said the rover could start snapping pictures of Mars late Saturday night. The rover won't trundle off on its own for another nine days, however. The $820 million NASA project also includes a twin rover, Opportunity, which is set to arrive on Mars on Jan. 24. The camera- and instrument-laden rovers were designed to spend 90 days analyzing Martian rocks and soil for clues that could reveal whether the Red Planet was ever a warmer, wetter place capable of sustaining life. Today, Mars is a dry and cold world. But ancient river channels and other water-carved features spied from orbit suggest that Mars may have had a more hospitable past. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...