Spirit Rover

Mars exploration · robot rover · NASA

A six-wheeled explorer. Spirit was a car-sized robot that NASA sent to Mars in 2004 to study the planet and look for clues about ancient water. It had cameras, tools, and wheels that let it drive across the Martian landscape.

Long journey to Mars. Spirit landed in a huge crater called Gusev on January 4, 2004, after traveling through space for months. Its twin rover, Opportunity, landed on the opposite side of Mars just three weeks later.

Powered by sunlight. Spirit had solar panels that captured sunlight to charge its batteries and power its instruments. When dust covered the panels or winter came, the rover struggled to stay warm and keep working.

Stuck in the sand. In late 2009, Spirit rolled into soft sand that tilted it at an angle, making it hard to recharge its solar panels. Scientists could not rescue it, and Spirit stopped communicating with Earth on March 22, 2010.

Six years of discovery. During 2,208 Martian days, Spirit found rocks and minerals that showed water had once flowed through Gusev Crater, giving scientists proof that Mars was once wetter and warmer.