(8 Aug 1997) English/Nat
30 after touchdown, NASA scientists called the Mars Pathfinder expedition a 100-percent success.
They say the information they are getting back on the weather patterns is allowing them to get an excellent idea of the exact conditions on the Red planet.
NASA scientists unveiled a stop-action video of the six-wheeled Sojourner rover making its way through the finals stages of its circular route around the Pathfinder.
They say the battery on board the lander was designed to last 30 days.
Everything else now gleaned from the Sojourner will be a bonus.
And they added that they're delighted with detailed weather information on Mars relayed back to earth.
SOUNDBITE:
"And we see wild fluctuations of temperatures in the morning on the surface of Mars in which your toes would be comfy and your head would need a hat and in roughly a few seconds of time we've had another 20 degrees of temperature change."
SUPER CAPTION: Dr. Matthew Golombek, Project Scientist
Golombek says the Pathfinder has offered some new insights into Mars, among them signs of dust devils.
It has also found that a rock named "Scooby-doo" apparently isn't a rock at all, but a Martian dirt ball.
Just how Scooby-doo was formed and whether water was involved remains a tantalizing mystery.
But Golombek is delighted with the information that has been sent back to earth.
SOUNDBITE:
"We finally have the kind of high fidelity data set from the surface that give us real feeling of what it would be like to be on the surface and walk across, the dust would kick up, we would feel these temperature changes."
SUPER CAPTION: Dr. Matthew Golombek, Project Scientist
Controllers said they will direct the Rover to test more rocks and may even send it on a trip up a hill to see what lies beyond it.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
