The Sojourner rover examines a Martian rock.
Click on image for full size
JPL/NASA
Mars, Mars, Mars!
News story originally written on July 8, 1997
NASA's Pathfinder landed on the surface of Mars on July 4, 1997. This was a very big event because it has been 20 years since any spacecraft has landed on Mars.
The Mars Pathfinder has been hard at work. The camera on the lander has been taking many pictures like the one on this page.
The Sojourner rover is now exploring the surface of Mars. It is a robot that can take pictures. It can also do experiments on rocks found on Mars.
Pathfinder measured the temperature to be minus 220 degrees Celsius (minus 64 degrees Fahrenheit). That's really cold!
The toy company Mattel was so excited about the Mars mission that it made a toy rover. It looks just like the real rover that is on Mars now.
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