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Article: US Spirit rolls onto Martian soil
- Article from:
- China Daily
- Article date:
- January 16, 2004
CopyrightCopyright 2004 China Daily. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
scientists sent the robotic rover Spirit out for its first spin on
martian soil yesterday, commanding the six-wheeled vehicle to roll
off its landing platform a dozen days after it arrived on the red
planet.
Radio signals instructing Spirit to make its initial excursion
were beamed to Mars at 14:21 pm Beijing Time (0821 GMT), and
confirmation that the rover had ventured onto the planet's surface
came with a return transmission about an hour and 40 minutes
afterward.
Moments later, mission controllers received the first pictures by
the rover looking back at the lander, showing tracks left by Spirit
in the martian soil.
The brief outing ...