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NASA Rover Rolls Off Lander and Onto Mars
AP via Yahoo ^ | Jan. 15, 2004 | Andrew Bridges

Posted on 01/15/2004 2:26:27 AM PST by Simmy2.5

PASADENA, Calif. - The Spirit rover successfully rolled onto Mars early Thursday, placing its six wheels on solid martian ground for the first time since the unmanned robot bounced down on the Red Planet nearly two weeks ago.

Engineers and scientists at NASA (news - web sites)'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory cheered loudly after receiving confirmation at 2 a.m. PST that the maneuver was a success.

Black-and-white pictures beamed from Spirit showed its two rear wheels on the martian soil, with its lander behind it. Tire tracks led away from the lander.

"This is a big relief. We are on Mars. Spirit has landed," said Rob Manning, manager of the entry, descent and landing portion of the mission. "Our wheels are finally dirty."

NASA said Spirit would take less than two minutes to travel the 10 feet from the unfolded petals of its lander onto Mars. Engineers said the move likely would be the riskiest of Spirit's entire three-month mission to explore Mars.


TOPICS: Front Page News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: mars; nasa; space; spirit
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Whoooohoooo!
1 posted on 01/15/2004 2:26:28 AM PST by Simmy2.5
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To: Simmy2.5
Mission Control was cheering and clapping as the pictures of the landing craft was seen from a distance from the rover. Clearly seen in some of the pictures I saw on NASA TV were the tire tracks in the Martian soil! :)
2 posted on 01/15/2004 2:29:52 AM PST by BigSkyFreeper
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To: Simmy2.5
The adventure begins.....
3 posted on 01/15/2004 2:30:34 AM PST by ArtDodger
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To: Simmy2.5
I've been watching NASA via the web.

Once again I've been shown why I don't watch local news. In DC the snow did not arrive but that didn't prevent WRC-4 (NBC) from pre-empting everything else to talk about how the snow crews did not have to go out. Still, not a word of history being made 100 million miles away.
4 posted on 01/15/2004 2:35:29 AM PST by leadpenny
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To: Simmy2.5
Earlier thread :

Mars Exploration Rover - Moving!

5 posted on 01/15/2004 2:35:39 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Davis is now out of Arnoold's Office , Bout Time!!!!)
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To: ArtDodger
Yes, an adventure of epic scale, that will give mankind the key to the stars... The NASA guys are just awesome.
6 posted on 01/15/2004 2:39:35 AM PST by Atlantic Friend (Cursum Perficio)
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To: leadpenny
News Conference at 2:45 AM PST, 10 minutes from now. One accesss via Real Player :

NASA

7 posted on 01/15/2004 2:40:50 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Davis is now out of Arnoold's Office , Bout Time!!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Changed to 3:00 AM! Rats!
8 posted on 01/15/2004 2:42:47 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Davis is now out of Arnoold's Office , Bout Time!!!!)
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To: leadpenny
I hate the fact that some stations put the TV show you're watching into a small box with text in large letters crawling along the bottom and a map of the state with counties flashing various colors. That's my biggest pet peeve about local TV.
9 posted on 01/15/2004 2:43:01 AM PST by BigSkyFreeper
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
They must be busy popping corks and getting snockered. LOL
10 posted on 01/15/2004 2:44:10 AM PST by BigSkyFreeper
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To: BigSkyFreeper
Drinking and driving
11 posted on 01/15/2004 2:44:38 AM PST by BigSkyFreeper
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To: Simmy2.5
Yahooo
12 posted on 01/15/2004 3:00:00 AM PST by CasearianDaoist
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To: BigSkyFreeper; Ernest_at_the_Beach
Briefing on now.
13 posted on 01/15/2004 3:02:11 AM PST by leadpenny
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To: Simmy2.5
News Conference starting!!!
14 posted on 01/15/2004 3:02:11 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Davis is now out of Arnoold's Office , Bout Time!!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Have to give to CNN. They are covering it.
15 posted on 01/15/2004 3:03:51 AM PST by leadpenny
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To: BigSkyFreeper
Spirit looks back at its lander

16 posted on 01/15/2004 4:41:25 AM PST by Lokibob
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To: Simmy2.5
Excellent!
17 posted on 01/15/2004 7:54:14 AM PST by kinsman redeemer
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To: Lokibob
What a shot! Mars dirt tracks in the rear view mirror!
18 posted on 01/15/2004 9:04:02 AM PST by Travis McGee ("That's not a line in the sand, that's a range marker." --Oleg Volk)
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To: BigSkyFreeper
HA! Can't fool me, it's all fake just like the moon landing.
All filmed on a hollywood set.
/s/
19 posted on 01/15/2004 9:07:19 AM PST by Warren (Or)
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To: Warren
It's Bush's fault!
20 posted on 01/15/2004 9:26:45 AM PST by PSYCHO-FREEP (HOW ABOUT rooting for our side for a change, you Liberalterian Morons!)
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