At 11:35 pm EST last night, January 3^rd, NASA’s first of two Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit, landed successfully on Mars.  The space craft landed in its target, Gusev Crater, which is believed to have been a lake in the past.  Moments before impact, the craft inflated airbags that encompass it, allowing it to bounce safely along the surface until it came to a stop.

 

In the early hours of this morning, Spirit sent back its first image, shown below:

 

 

The second Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, is scheduled to land at Meridiani Planum on January 24^th.

 

For more information on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

 

Kevin Sloan

President, PSU Mars Society

http://www.psums.org

Chairman, PA Chapter of the Mars Society

http://chapters.marssociety.org/pa