Mars Pathfinder

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• Pathfinder beams down spectacular new Mars pictures August 27, 1997
• Mars rover to head over the hills and far away August 9, 1997
• Pathfinder returns gold mine of information August 8, 1997
• Recharged Pathfinder strolls through Rock Garden August 5, 1997
• Pathfinder's mission to Mars deemed a success July 31, 1997
• Mars rover's next stop: Mini Matterhorn July 28, 1997
• Pathfinder experiments 'back on track' July 22, 1997
• NASA regains contact with Pathfinder July 21, 1997
• Pathfinder sends vibrant, panoramic image of horizon July 18, 1997
• A day in the life of Mission Control July 17, 1997
• Scientists rush to recover from problems with Sojourner July 15, 1997
• Third computer reset cuts off communication to Earth July 14, 1997
• Pathfinder begins to send back color panorama July 13, 1997
• Rover backs away from Yogi, faces serious test July 12, 1997
• One 'marvelous' Martian week July 11, 1997
• Sojourner moves in to 'sniff' Yogi July 10, 1997
• Mars scientists settle into a high-science groove July 9, 1997
• Scientists call Martian rock 'a real surprise' July 8, 1997
• 'Perfect' day on Mars yields evidence of ancient floods July 7, 1997
• Sojourner, meet Barnacle Bill July 6, 1997
• Tiny Mars rover set to take giant roll for mankind July 5, 1997
• Mars Pathfinder transmits dramatic color images July 4, 1997

 Barnacle Bill

The data from the Sojourner rover's alpha proton X-ray spectrometer suggests that the football-sized rock may be a kind of andesite, the second most common type of lava on Earth.

McSween emphasized that there was no confirmation that Barnacle Bill was formed by volcanic action, and said it could either be sedimentary rock or an "impact" rock caused by a meteorite.

But he did say that its composition is different from meteorites from Mars. He also said that scientists hope an analysis of the soil will help them get a better idea of Mars' geology.

The scientists also revealed that:

The dust in the Martian atmosphere is comparable to that of a moderately smoggy day in Los Angeles. Scientist Jeffrey Barnes of Oregon State University said the dust ranges as high as 21 to 24 miles (35-40 km) into the atmosphere.

Sunrises and sunsets on Mars are longer and brighter than on Earth, owing to the dust. First light on Mars occurs at 3:15 a.m. A day on Mars is similar in length to a day on Earth.

The first observations were made of Deimos, the smaller of Mars' two moons. Thirteen images were beamed back to Earth, and Dr. Nicholas Thomas of the Max Planck Institute in Germany said Deimos would never be more than a "spot" passing over Mars. Phobos, though larger than Deimos, crosses the Martian night sky in four hours, he said.

The weather on Mars is "boring," in the words of Barnes. At 2:45 in the Martian afternoon, the temperature was 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and there was a weak wind from the northwest.

"It's exactly what we expected," Barnes said. However, he added that during the Martian fall which begins in "50 or 60 days," the weather change will be dramatic.

Golombek revealed that the Pathfinder lander bounced more than 16 times on its cushion of air bags before coming to rest in the area called Ares Vallis. And since overcoming a communications glitch over the weekend, everything has worked flawlessly.

Data-gathering aimed at future trips

Sojourner will analyze the Martian surface to determine the chemical composition of its features. Other experiments will explore the feasibility of using solar energy to turn Mars' atmosphere into rocket fuel, a process that may prove necessary if spacecraft are ever to fly from Mars back to Earth.

Both the main landing craft and Sojourner have cameras on board to beam back detailed images of the planet's features.

The mission is designed to last a month before the solar-powered Pathfinder reaches the end of its life. But scientists hope the landing craft and rover will outperform their scheduled life span.

Pathfinder is not designed to answer the provocative question of whether life once existed on Mars, because it will not be returning to Earth with the soil or rock samples that would be needed for a definitive answer.

But the data collected on this mission could provide new clues to the answer, as well as giving scientists the information they need for future missions that could offer definite proof of Martian life.