Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit
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Artist concept of Mars Exploration Rover
An artist's concept portrays a NASA Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars. Two rovers have been built for 2003 launches and January 2004 arrival at two sites on Mars. Each rover has the mobility and toolkit to function as a robotic geologist. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell University
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Spirit Lander and Bonneville Crater in Color
Near the lower left corner of this view is the three-petal lander platform that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit drove off in January 2004. The lander is still bright, but with a reddish color, probably due to accumulation of Martian dust.
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Carbonate-Containing Martian Rocks, False Color
Lengthy detective work from data collected by NASA's rover Spirit confirmed that an outcrop called 'Comanche' contains a mineral indicating that a past environment was wet and non-acidic, possibly favorable to life.
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Site of Intense Investigation by Spirit
This image taken by the front hazard avoidance camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit looks toward the northwest and shows some of the targets examined by Spirit after the rover became embedded at this site. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Adjusted Local Topography Map of Spirit's Surroundings
A depression called "Scamander Crater," about 8 meters (26 feet) wide and 25 centimeters (10 inches) deep, dominates the terrain near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in this map that emphasizes local topography by removing the regional tilt to the northwest. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ohio State University
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Looking East to 'Tyrone'
This is a portion of an image, called the "McMurdo Panorama," taken by the panoramic camera on the Spirit rover during its winter campaign. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
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A Moment Frozen in Time
On May 19th, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera (Pancam) mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of the rover's 489th martian day.
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"Berries" on the Ground 2 (3-D)
This 3-D anaglyph, from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows a microscopic image taken of soil featuring round, blueberry-shaped rock formations on the crater floor at Meridiani Planum, Mars. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.
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Mission Summary
One of two rovers launched in 2003 to explore Mars and search for signs of past life, Spirit far outlasted her planned 90-day mission. Among her myriad discoveries, Spirit found evidence that Mars was once much wetter than it is today and helped scientists better understand the Martian wind.
In May 2009, the rover became embedded in soft soil at a site called "Troy" with only five working wheels to aid in the rescue effort. After months of testing and carefully planned maneuvers, NASA ended efforts to free the rover and eventually ended the mission on May 25, 2011.
› Learn more about Spirit's twin rover, Opportunity
Scientific Instrument(s)
- Panoramic camera (Pancam)
- Microscopic Imager (MI)
- Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES)
- Mossbauer Spectrometer (MB)
- Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS)
- Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
- Magnet arrays
- Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams)
- Navigation Cameras (Navcams)
