Sojourner
Also known as Mars Pathfinder rover, MFEX
Six wheeled microrover of the Mars Pathfinder mission, the first wheeled vehicle to drive on another planet, operating in Ares Vallis.
| Maker | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Launched | 1996 |
| Status | Completed |
| Length | 0.65 m |
| Mass | 10.6 kg |
| Distance driven | 0.1 km |
| Actuation | Six independently driven wheels on a rocker bogie chassis |
| Power | Solar array with non rechargeable lithium thionyl chloride batteries |
| Sensors | Three cameras, laser stripe hazard detection, alpha proton X-ray spectrometer |
| Autonomy | Operator designated waypoints with onboard hazard detection |
Sojourner rolled off the Pathfinder lander on 6 July 1997 and worked in Ares Vallis, an ancient flood plain on Mars. Solar panels and non rechargeable lithium batteries powered six independently driven wheels on a rocker bogie chassis, and an alpha proton X-ray spectrometer measured rock chemistry. It stayed within a few tens of metres of the lander, which relayed all of its data to Earth, and it operated for 83 sols against a planned seven.
Of note
- First wheeled robot to drive on another planet
- Operated 83 sols against a planned seven sol mission
- Returned 550 images and 16 rock and soil chemistry measurements
Maker: www.nasa.gov