This temperature figure shows the change in the mean and variance of the temperature fluctuations at the Pathfinder landing site. Sol 79 and 80 are very similar, with a significant reduction of the mean and variance on Sol 81. The science team suspects that a cold front has past of the landing sight between Sols 80 and 81.
Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Pathfinder (MPF) | |
Instrument Host | Mars Pathfinder Lander | |
Host Type | Lander | |
Instrument | Atmospheric Structure Instrument/Meteorology Package (ASI/MET) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Atmosphere, Color | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 1997-10-14 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/ASU | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00978 | |
Identifier | PIA00978 |