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Mars Exploration Rover Mission Animation

October 27, 2003

This artist's concept animation depicts key events in NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, including launch; cruise; entry, descent & landing; egress; and, surface operations.

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Landing a spacecraft on Mars is one of the trickiest things we do. This 60-second video explains how it's done, and the three landing systems we use at the Red Planet.
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Mars in a Minute: How Do You Land on Mars?
Mars in a Minute: How Do You Land on Mars?
This image from Opportunity's panoramic camera features the remains of the heat shield that protected the rover from temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it made its way through the ma...
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This image from Opportunity's panoramic camera features the remains of the heat shield that protected the rover from temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it made its way through the martian atmosphere.
Opportunity's Heat Shield in Color, Sol 335
From left: Dave Lavery, program executive for Solar System Exploration at NASA Headquarters, Dr. Ed Weiler, associate administrator, Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Pe...
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From left: Dave Lavery, program executive for Solar System Exploration at NASA Headquarters, Dr. Ed Weiler, associate administrator, Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Pete Theisinger, (former) Mars Exploration Rover project manager and JPL lab director, Dr. Charles Elachi celebrate the success of Spirit's landing and transmission of first images.
Spirit: First Images
Entry, descent and landing manager, Rob Manning (facing camera), hugs Richard Cook, the current Mars Exploration Rover project manager after Opportunity's successful landing at Meridiani Planum, Mars.
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Entry, descent and landing manager, Rob Manning (facing camera), hugs Richard Cook, the current Mars Exploration Rover project manager after Opportunity's successful landing at Meridiani Planum, Mars.
Opportunity: Landing
A forward-looking view of a portion of the "Columbia Hills" captured by Spirit shows the expansive hills ahead. It features "Husband Hill" to the left, "West Spur" in the center, and a talus (rock...
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This image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a forward-looking view of a portion of the "Columbia Hills."
The 'Columbia Hills' in Color
As Opportunity crept farther into "Endurance Crater," the dune field on the crater floor appeared even more dramatic.
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As Opportunity crept farther into "Endurance Crater," the dune field on the crater floor appears even more dramatic.
'Endurance Crater's' Dazzling Dunes
This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rear hazard identification camera shows the rover's hind view of the lander platform, its nest for the past 12 sols, or martian days. The rover i...
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This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rear hazard identification camera shows the rover's hind view of the lander platform, its nest for the past 12 sols
Spirit Looks Back (3-D)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine discusses the successful completion of the Opportunity Mars rover mission during a news briefing at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California...
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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine discusses the successful completion of the Opportunity Mars rover mission during a news briefing at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Behind him to the left is a model of Opportunity and to the right behind him is an image of Mars.
NASA Administrator and Mars
The deck of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is so dusty that the rover almost blends into the dusty background in this image assembled from frames taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) during...
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The deck of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is so dusty that the rover almost blends into the dusty background in this image assembled from frames taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) during the period from Spirit's Sol 1,355 through Sol 1,358 (Oct. 26-29, 2007).
Dusty Solar Panels on Spirit
After bouncing to a stop, the lander's petals unfold and the Mars Exploration Rover drives onto the surface of Mars.
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After bouncing to a stop, the lander's petals unfold and the Mars Exploration Rover drives onto the surface of Mars.
Artwork of Mars Exploration Rover leaving lander
"Marathon Valley" on Mars opens to a view across Endeavour Crater in this scene from the Pancam of NASA's Mars rover Opportunity. The scene merges many exposures taken during April and May 2016. Th...
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"Marathon Valley" on Mars opens to a view across Endeavour Crater in this scene from the Pancam of NASA's Mars rover Opportunity. The scene merges many exposures taken during April and May 2016. The view spans from north (left) to west-southwest. Its foreground shows the valley's fractured texture.
Mars Rover Opportunity's Panorama of 'Marathon Valley'
Donc, vous voulez étudier Mars avec un atterrisseur ou un rover, mais où l’envoyer exactement? Apprenez comment les scientifiques et ingénieurs abordent cette question dans cette vidéo de 60 second...
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Donc, vous voulez étudier Mars avec un atterrisseur ou un rover, mais où l’envoyer exactement?
Mars in a Minute: (French) Comment choisir un site d'atterrissage?
This 360-degree view from a site dubbed "Engineering Flats" shows the rover's shadow.
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This 360-degree view from a site dubbed "Engineering Flats" shows the rover's shadow.
Spirit's View from 'Engineering Flats'
Researchers used the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity to capture this view of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring as it passed near Mars on Oct. 19, 2014.
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Researchers used the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity to capture this view of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring as it passed near Mars on Oct. 19, 2014.
Mars Rover Opportunity's View of Passing Comet
This is a zoomed in view on Spirit 's "Lookout" panorama on the drive up to the summit "Husband Hills."
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This is a zoomed in view on Spirit 's "Lookout" panorama on the drive up to the summit "Husband Hills."
Close-Up of 'Lookout' Panorama
This image taken at Meridiani Planum, Mars, by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer (circular device in center), located on its i...
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This image taken at Meridiani Planum, Mars, by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer (circular device in center), located on its instrument deployment device, or "arm." The image was acquired on the ninth martian day or sol of the rover's mission.
Moessbauer on Mars
Using footage filmed at JPL when Spirit touched down on Jan. 3, 2004, as well an animation depicting the rover's arrival at the Red Planet, this video celebrates the 20th anniversary of Mars Explor...
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Image of representation of Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars.
Celebrating Spirit & Opportunity's 20th Anniversary Landing on Mars
NASA's Opportunity rover celebrates 8th anniversary on Mars.
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Opportunity on Mars: Eight years and counting
Opportunity on Mars: Eight years and counting
This chart illustrates comparisons among the distances driven by various wheeled vehicles on the surface of Earth's moon and Mars.  
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This chart illustrates comparisons among the distances driven by various wheeled vehicles on the surface of Earth's moon and Mars.
Driving Distances on Mars and the Moon
This scene from NASA's Mars rover Opportunity shows "Wharton Ridge," which forms part of the southern wall of "Marathon Valley" on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The ridge's name honors the memory of...
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This scene from NASA's Mars rover Opportunity shows "Wharton Ridge," which forms part of the southern wall of "Marathon Valley" on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The ridge's name honors the memory of astrobiologist Robert A. Wharton (1951-2012). The scene is presented in approximately true color.
Mars Rover Opportunity's Panorama of 'Wharton Ridge'
The boulder-studded ridge in this scene recorded by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is "McClure-Beverlin Escarpment," informally named for Jack Beverlin and Bill McClure, engineers who on...
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The boulder-studded ridge in this scene recorded by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is "McClure-Beverlin Escarpment," informally named for Jack Beverlin and Bill McClure, engineers who on Feb. 14, 1969, risked their lives to save NASA's second successful Mars mission, Mariner 6, on its launch pad.
Opportunity's Southward View of 'McClure-Beverlin Escarpment' on Mars (False Color)
A grooved ridge called "Rocheport" on the rim of Mars' Endeavour Crater spans this scene from the Pancam on NASA's Mars rover Opportunity. The view extends from south-southeast on the left to north...
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A grooved ridge called "Rocheport" on the rim of Mars' Endeavour Crater spans this scene from the Pancam on NASA's Mars rover Opportunity. The view extends from south-southeast on the left to north on the right. The site is near the southern end of an Endeavour rim segment called "Cape Tribulation."
Mars Rover Opportunity's Panorama of 'Rocheport'
The pointy features, dubbed "Razorback," in this image may only be a few centimeters high but they generate major scientific interest.
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The pointy features, dubbed "Razorback," in this image may only be a few centimeters high but they generate major scientific interest.
The 'Razorback' Mystery
The rock abrasion tool on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit ground two holes in a relatively soft rock called "Wooly Patch" near the base of the "Columbia Hills" inside Gusev Crater on Mars.
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The rock abrasion tool on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit ground two holes in a relatively soft rock called "Wooly Patch" near the base of the "Columbia Hills" inside Gusev Crater on Mars.
Two Holes in 'Wooly Patch' (False Color)
This grouping of two test rovers and a flight spare provides a graphic comparison of three generations of Mars rovers developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The setting is ...
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This grouping of two test rovers and a flight spare provides a graphic comparison of three generations of Mars rovers developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The setting is JPL's Mars Yard testing area.
Three Generations of Rovers in Mars Yard

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