Mars Pathfinder

On July 4, 1997, after a 7-month journey, Pathfinder entered the Martian atmosphere. Minutes later, its airbag-cocooned lander bounced to a stop on the Martian surface. The Pathfinder lander, now known as the Sagan Memorial Station, carried onboard a robotic rover named Sojourner. The 10 kilogram solar-powered rover was equipped with a spectrometer used to analyze the chemical composition of Martian rock and a camera which relayed images of the landscape back to Earth. The Pathfinder lander and the Sojourner rover sent thousands of images, more than 15 analyses of Martian rocks and data on weather condition to scientists on Earth. The low-cost mission has been said to set the standard for 21st century space exploration.

All spacecraft images courtesy NASA
© The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 1999