A Boeing Delta 2 rocket carrying Spirit blasts off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on June 10, 2003.
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Image courtesy NASA.
Mars Exploration Rovers Blast Off
News story originally written on July 10, 2003
The Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) are on their way to Mars. MER are two robotic rover vehicles that will explore the Red Planet. Spacecraft carrying MER blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The rovers will explore the geology of Mars, in search of signs of water. MER will search for types of rocks that form when water is around. If everything goes well, the two spacecraft will land on Mars in January 2004.
The two rovers are named Spirit and Opportunity. Spirit blasted off on June 10, 2003. Opportunity was launched on July 7, 2003. Delta II rockets made by Boeing boosted the robots into space. It will take the spacecraft about six months to get to Mars.
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