Mars Exploration Rover — A
NASA/JPL · NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mass
185 kgas of [1]Landed
January 4, 2004Landing Site
Gusev CraterOperational
2,208 sols (6 years, ~2 months)as of [1]Originally designed for 90 sols; last contact March 22, 2010Launch
June 10, 2003
Landing
January 4, 2004
Gusev Crater
Mission End
March 22, 2010
2,208 sols (6 years, ~2 months)
| Agency | NASA/JPL |
| Operator | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Vehicle Type | Rover |
| Power System | Solar panels + lithium-ion battery |
| Primary Contractor | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Instruments | 5 science instruments + RAT drill + Magnet arraysas of [1]Pancam, Mini-TES, Mössbauer Spectrometer, APXS, Microscopic Imager |
| Landing Site | Gusev Crater14.5718°S 175.4785°E |
| Distance Traveled | 7.73 kmas of [1]Final odometry before contact lost; rover became stuck in soft soil in 2009 |
Landed in Gusev Crater and traversed 7.73 km over 2,208 sols — 24× its design lifetime. Found evidence of ancient hydrothermal activity at Home Plate. Became permanently immobile in soft soil in 2009; contact lost March 2010.
“Spirit (MER-A) landed on Mars on January 4, 2004, in the Gusev Crater region. During its 2,208 sols of surface operations it traveled approximately 7.73 km.”
See how Spirit (MER-A) stacks up side-by-side against other Mars surface vehicles.