News Archive

Sunday, January 25, 2004 Opportunity Update The scene within JPL was described as the inside of a "locker room after a team won the Super Bowl." Opportunity, like it's twin Spirit, had a best-case scenario landing. Stopping an estimated 14km - 15km from the center of the landing ellipse, it is on the eastern side of the plain. The plain has a higher Hematite concentration on that half. As Opportunity bounced, the Deep Space Network and NASA never lost its signal. Thanks to rockets on the decent, the rover had little horizontal and vertical velocities when it hit the ground. The rover is currently supposed to be deflating its airbags and righting itself. As for how the problem with Spirit's FLASH memory will affect Opportunity, JPL said they will be cautious and take everything one step at a time. (Source: Live NASA Briefing) @ 2:35 EST