Spirit mass 1062kg, including lander and Spirit rover.
The main scientific objectives are: to find traces of water activity in Martian rocks and soil, to detect the distribution and genesis of minerals around the landing zone, and to find geological factors during the existence of liquid water.
Spirit rover is designed with six wheels, each wheel is driven independently, and the power source is solar energy. The overall dimension is 2.3 1.6 1.5 m, and the weight is 180 kg, which is 7 times the weight of the Mars Explorer Sojourner rover.
The maximum speed of the rover is 50 mm per second, and the average speed is 10 mm per second. The scientific instruments it carries include panorama camera, Navcam, miniature thermal emission spectrometer, Mossbauer spectrometer (MB), alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS), microscope imager, magnet (collecting dust particles), rock grinder, etc.
0 1 release
On June 10, 2003, Spirit was launched by Delta 7925 carrier rocket.
After completing the cruise flight, Spirit will enter, descend and land in the atmosphere of Mars like Mars Pathfinder, that is, after entering the atmosphere of Mars, it will decelerate by using the heat-proof shell, then the supersonic parachute, then the reverse rocket will decelerate, and finally the landing process will be buffered by four large airbags wrapped around the detector.
The whole probe crashed into Mars at the speed of 14 meters per second at 4: 26 on October 4, 2004, and then four airbags bounced 28 times before finally stabilizing.
The coordinates of the landing site are south latitude 14.57 and east longitude 175.47, which is about 13.4 kilometers away from the planned target. It is located in the crater of oleg gusev, and this area has been called Columbia Memorial Station since then.
During the whole entry-descent-landing process, the lander transmits data through the Mars global probe. About an hour and a half after landing on Mars, after the airbag deflated, the Spirit rover unfolded the petal-shaped solar panel and sent information to the Earth through the Mars Odyssey.
02 task
On June 5438+1October 265438+1October 2004, when NASA's deep space network tried to contact Spirit, it failed.
Because there was a problem with the flash memory subsystem of Spirit, it automatically entered the "failure mode". Fortunately, the ground controller reformatted the flash memory and sent a software patch (to prevent memory overload), so it resumed normal operation on February 5.
The next day, Spirit used a rock grinder to polish the rock surface, which was the first feat completed on Mars. By analyzing the interior of exposed rocks, scientists have a new understanding of the composition of Martian rocks.
The original planned Spirit mission will last for 90 Mars days (about April 4, 2004). However, according to its state and performance, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has expanded the mission of Spirit for many times and carried out more exploration work.
Later, important exploration activities included: investigating the bonneville crater about 370 meters away from the initial landing site, and then reaching the bottom of Columbia Mountain, where a long-term investigation and exploration were conducted.
In 2005, Spirit began to climb the mountain slowly, crossing the terrain of rocks and sand, ready to reach the peak of Husband Mountain. It stops to investigate in many places and often uses rock grinders to analyze the internal structure and substance of rocks.
In March 2005, a Martian sandstorm blew away the dust on the top of the solar panel of Spirit, which increased its power from the usual 60% to 93%, thus greatly prolonging the life of the mission.
On September 29th, 2005, the rover finally reached the top of Husband Mountain, which is a flat plain, from which Spirit can take a 360-degree panoramic view of Oleg Gusiev crater.
In early 2006, Spirit planned to travel to the northern part of Mount McCool.
There, Spirit will get enough sunlight to generate electricity to keep it running in the coming Martian winter. But the mission was cancelled, partly because one of the front wheels of the rover stopped working.
However, when the rover moved, the stationary wheels scraped off the upper layer of Martian soil, exposing bright dust rich in silicon dioxide, indicating that the soil here had been soaked in water.
In early 2007, the control center uploaded new software to Spirit and its brother Opportunity. The new program allows the rover to independently decide some different actions, such as whether to send a specific image back to Earth or whether to extend the remote control arm.
However, during most of the earth's summer in 2007, both Spirit and Opportunity were faced with large-scale sandstorms, which led to the decrease of solar panel power and affected the detection ability of the rover.
At the end of 2008, another winter sandstorm further reduced the power generation of Spirit solar panels to about 89 watt-hours per Mars day (the normal power generation is about 700 watt-hours). At such a low power level, Spirit needs to use its own battery. If the battery is exhausted, the task will end.
In 2009, with the wind blowing off the dust on the solar panels, the power generation began to increase gradually. By April 2009, the rover had recovered to about 372 watt-hours per day, which was enough to resume normal scientific exploration activities.
03 end
On May 1 day, 2009, when Spirit was driving south on the west side called home plate, the soft soil prevented the wheels from generating enough traction. 165438+1On October 28th, the other wheel (right rear wheel) of Spirit stopped working.
By the end of June, 20 10, after many unsuccessful attempts to move Spirit, the ground control center redefined Spirit as a "fixed scientific platform".
One of its new tasks is to study the tiny wobble during the rotation of Mars to determine whether the nature of the planet's core is liquid or solid.
In order to do this, the rover must tilt slightly to the north, so that its solar panels are just facing the sunlight to generate enough electricity. Results The tilting action was not completed. After March 22nd, 20 10, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory could no longer get in touch with Spirit.
Although more than 1300 instructions were sent to Spirit, the contact establishment failed. On May 25th, 20 1 1, NASA suspended the resumption of contact, and the mission of the Spirit rover officially ended.
04 achievement
NASA highly praised the performance and discovery of Spirit.
Spirit discovered the sedimentary rocks of Mars, which is often related to the erosion of water flow; The discovery of hematite is also closely related to water; It took many photos in the ancient Sayef crater, which made scientists believe that it might be an ancient lake.
It found carbonate, which is also closely related to water; The photos taken by it show the early geological activities of Mars and frequent meteor impacts; It discovered water-eroded minerals at the end of 2006; It found traces of sulfur and water in the mixed soil during driving, indicating that spring water evaporation or volcanic activity may have occurred here.
These results enable scientists to confirm the existence of water in the history of Mars, providing the latest and most direct evidence.
After the mission, Spirit has traveled 7.73 kilometers on Mars, dozens of times as planned. The original planned working life is 90 Mars days, but it has actually been running normally for 6 years and 2 months 19 days and 22 10 Mars days, which is 25 times of the original expected life.
Spirit's solar panels have been covered with dust for many times, and have been trapped in soft sand for many times, and they can still resume work when the right front wheel fails.
Spirit also observed the sunset of Mars, the eclipse of Phobos, the transit of Phobos and the meteor shower of Mars, and sent back as many as 6.5438+0.28 million photos.
In a word, Spirit Rover is a very successful project.
Opportunity and spirit are exactly the same, but in different places.
0 1 release
On July 8, 2003, it was launched by Delta 7925H carrier rocket.
After six months' travel, Opportunity made the last course correction on June 6, 2004, and then entered the atmosphere of Mars and landed on June 25, 2004.
The Opportunity, sealed in an airbag, landed at 04: 54 international standard time, then bounced at least 26 times, and landed on the meridian plain at about 14.9 km south latitude and 354.47 east longitude. This area was later named Challenger Memorial Station to commemorate the crew of the space shuttle lost in 1986.
02 task
Opportunity landed on a relatively flat plain, but in a crater called Eagle. This position is basically located on both sides of Mars where Spirit landed.
On March 22, 2004, after an extensive investigation into the interior of Eagle Crater, Opportunity climbed to the edge of Crater and began its new exploration mission in Endurance Crater, about 750 meters away.
After coming out of Eagle Crater, the rover Opportunity photographed the abandoned area, where the lander, back shell and parachute can still be seen.
Near the abandoned heat shield, Opportunity found an unusual basketball-sized rock (called "heat shield rock") in June 5438+October 2005/KLOC-0. It turned out to be an iron-nickel meteorite.
Later that year, the rover Opportunity drove into an area, and several of its wheels were buried in the sand, which made the vehicle unable to move. Ground controllers can only fly the aircraft a few centimeters at a time, and then Opportunity will sleep for six weeks until June 2005.
In 2006, Opportunity slowly sailed south to Victoria Crater with a diameter of 800 meters, and reached Ereb Crater with a diameter of about 300 meters for the first time.
In March 2006, it began its journey to Victoria Crater, 2 kilometers away. This crater is wider and deeper than any crater visited by Spirit and Opportunity before. Opportunity arrived in Victoria Pit in September 2006 and sent back clear photos of its edge.
In 2007, Opportunity suffered a severe sandstorm on Mars. By July of 18, the power of solar panels was only 128 WHr, which is the minimum power allowed by the rover. All scientific activities can only be suspended.
After about six weeks of dusty weather, the sandstorm began to weaken and Opportunity began to work normally again.
On September 1 1, 2007, it entered Victoria Crater and stayed there for nearly a year, sending a lot of information to the earth.
Opportunity's next target is the Endeavour Crater with a diameter of 22 kilometers.
On the way, Opportunity discovered the so-called Marquette Island rock, which is different from any known rock or meteorite on Mars in composition and characteristics.
These rocks seem to originate from the deep crust of Mars and are far from the landing site, which is different from all the rocks studied by Opportunity.
On March 24th, 20 10, Opportunity traveled 20 kilometers on Mars, more than twice as much as Spirit, and far exceeding the original plan of 600 meters.
Two months later, on May 20th, Opportunity broke the record of the longest continuous running time of 1 lander on the surface of Mars-6 years, 1 16 days.
On June 20th11,Opportunity set a new record of 30 kilometers when it went to Endeavour Crater.
Finally, after nearly three years and a journey of about 2 1 km, Opportunity arrived at the Endeavour crater on August 9, 201.
From the end of 20 12 to the end of 20 13, Opportunity worked around a geographical feature-Mount Matijevic, overlooking the Endeavour pit and analyzing its rocks and soil.
On May 6, 2065438, NASA announced that Opportunity had passed the longest distance recorded by man-made objects on another planet-35.744 kilometers after passing through Endeavour pit, which was the last month of Apollo 1972+02.
In August of 20 13, the rover Opportunity visited Solander Point, which is the contact area between the acidic and humid rock strata and the older and more neutral environment a long time ago, and is located in the convex part near the western edge of Endeavour Ring Road.
At the end of 20 14, 10, Opportunity spent 10 years on the surface of Mars, and the surface of solar panels was relatively clean, which increased the power of the rover. In March of 20 14, a "selfie" showed that the surface of Opportunity was blown clean by the wind, and it could keep enough power output to keep it working.
On July 28th, 20 14, when continuing the Mars exploration mission, NASA announced that Opportunity had broken the record that the Soviet Lunar Rover 2 had traveled 39 kilometers on another celestial body, and Opportunity had already traveled 40.25 kilometers. Opportunity is still working normally at this time.
On September 4th, 20 14, NASA announced that it would extend the working life of Opportunity for another two years, which is also its ninth mission expansion. The new task is to go to the nearby Marathon Valley.
At the beginning of September, it had traveled 40.69 kilometers.
On March 25th, 20 15, Opportunity had traveled 42. 195km, thus becoming "the first man-made object to run a marathon on another planet".
On June 20 15, communication was restricted because Mars was just behind the sun (opposite the earth). 20 15-20 16 The Earth Winter Opportunity also ushered in the seventh winter of Mars. Due to the weak solar radiation, it was kept at the "minimum energy" level, during which the rock grinder of Opportunity cleaned the dust on a Martian rock specimen.
Opportunity also continued to investigate the western edge of the 22-kilometer-wide Endeavour Crater, especially the south side of Marathon Valley, which runs through the edge of Endeavour Crater from west to east.
On March 16, 10, 2065438, when approaching the target near the top of knudsen crater, it traveled at an inclination of 32, breaking the record of the steepest slope of any probe on Mars.
On 20 16 10, Opportunity began a two-year mission expansion, and it will inspect the "Kugen Valley" on the western edge of the Endeavour Ring Road.
The plan is to let the rover enter a canyon about two football fields long. Scientists believe that "this may be a gully carved by fluid, and water is also involved."
On February 7, 20 17, the distance traveled by Opportunity broke through 44 kilometers, and it made slow progress towards the next major scientific goal-the Valley of Perseverance.
After taking several high-resolution panoramic photos in Yili Valley, on June 4th, the rover tilted 33 degrees due to the failure of the left front wheel. Fortunately, after several corrective attempts, the wheels seem to be back to normal.
For about three weeks in June and July, because the sun was just between the Earth and Mars, the communication between Opportunity and the Earth decreased.
In mid-July, Opportunity finally entered the persistent pit and began to sail into the ravine. As of 20 17, 10, 3 1, the distance traveled by Opportunity reached 45.04 kilometers.
03 achievement
The structure of Opportunity is exactly the same as that of Spirit. Its design life is 90 Mars days, but it is more tenacious than Spirit. It has worked for 5,352 Mars days, nearly 60 times higher than originally planned.
The communication with Opportunity was greatly affected by a Martian sandstorm on June 20 18 18.
20 19 February 12, the dormant opportunity failed to wake up again. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced the official end of the Opportunity mission on February 13.
In the long 15 years, Opportunity traveled 45. 16 kilometers on Mars, and * * * sent back more than 200,000 photos. It also found traces of the interaction between hematite, meteorites and water on Mars.
In order to commemorate the great contribution of Opportunity to Mars exploration, the asteroid 39382 was named after Opportunity.
The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are more mobile than the Mars Pathfinder rover 1997, and can travel for miles on the surface of Mars for on-the-spot geological and atmospheric observation.
Both rovers carried the same and complicated scientific instruments, and found evidence of the ancient Martian environment, which was characterized by intermittent humidity and livability.
Their first scientific goal in the mission to mars is to find and describe a wide range of rocks and soils, and to find clues about past water activities on Mars.
The landing points of the two rovers are just on both sides of Mars, so the research work can almost represent the entire surface of Mars. The place where Spirit used to land may be a lake, which is located in a large impact crater. Opportunity landed in Plana, a meridian site. Rock analysis shows that it was once very wet.
Two rovers sent hundreds of thousands of spectacular high-resolution full-color images of Mars terrain, as well as detailed microscopic images of rocks and soil surfaces.
Four different spectrometers have accumulated a lot of information about the chemical and mineral composition of rocks and soils on Mars. The first rock grinder sent to Mars works well, enabling scientists to examine its internal structure and composition through the dusty and weathered rock surface.
Using the data of two rovers, scientists reconstructed the ancient history that Mars was flooded.
Spirit and Opportunity each found evidence of past wet conditions, which may support the hypothesis that microorganisms once existed.
Opportunity's study of the impact craters of Eagle and Perseverance revealed evidence that sulfate-rich sand and lakes between dunes were formed by evaporation in the past. Sand is transformed by water and wind, solidified into rocks and soaked by groundwater.
Two Mars rovers found various rocks, indicating that the early Mars was characterized by collision, violent volcanic eruption and the interaction of groundwater. Some bright soil blocks were originally salty and influenced by ancient water. Generally speaking, they all found evidence of liquid water in ancient times.