Photos: Before Curiosity, pictures of Mars from the Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity Rovers

Posted Aug 07, 2012

Seven rovers have been sent to Mars, four successful, all of them robotically operated. The American rover Sojourner, Mars Pathfinder, landed successfully on July 4, 1997 and began sending back a series of unique images followed by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers in 2004.

1 of 67

The rover Sojourner cuts across Mermaid Dune, a dark material distinct from the surrounding bright surface of Mars, in this image released by NASA Friday, Aug. 8, 1997. Dark red rover tracks extend from the foreground to the base of the rover's wheels. (AP Photo/JPL)
2 of 67

This panoramic view taken by the Mars Spirit rover on March 31, 2004 and released by NASA on April 2, 2004 shows the rock-strewn path the rover has taken from its landing site since touching down on Mars on Jan. 3, 2004. Spirit's lander is in the far upper right of the image. The hill on the horizon is Grissom Hill. The Spirit rover completed its primary mission to Mars on Monday, April 5, 2004, and will continue to explore the planet. (AP Photo/ NASA/JPL/Cornell)
3 of 67

This approximate true-color image taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration rover Opportunity shows the impact crater known as "Endurance," in this photo released by NASA Thursday, May 6, 2004. NASA scientists said Thursday they may send Opportunity on a one-way trip to the depths of the crater so the robot can finish out its days studying stacks of layered rock that may have formed long ago at the bottom of a salty extraterrestrial ocean. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL)
4 of 67

This view released May 26, 2004 in approximately true color reveals details in an impact crater informally named "Fram" in the Meridian Planum region of Mars. The picture is a mosaic of frames taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 88th martian day on Mars, on April 23, 2004. The crater spans about 8 meters (26 feet) in diameter. Opportunity paused beside it while traveling from the rover's landing site toward a larger crater farther east. Opportunity will be put into a ``deep sleep'' mode at night to save energy even though the step risks cold damage to one of its instruments, NASA said Wednesday. Opportunity has a more serious energy decline because a switch that controls a heater on its instrument arm is malfunctioning, leaving the heater on overnight even when it's not needed. (AP Photo/NASA/ASU/Cornell)
5 of 67

** RETRANSMITTED FOR ALTERNATE CROP ** This is the first color image of Mars taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, released Tuesday Jan. 6, 2004. The pictue was taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. NASA unveiled a breathtaking color photo of the surface of Mars, the sharpest photograph ever taken on the surface of Mars. NASA scientists called the picture a "postcard," sent across 105 million miles of space to Earth. (AP Photo/photo released by NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell University)
6 of 67

The smooth surfaces of angular and rounded rocks seen in this image of the martian terrain released by NASA Tuesday Jan. 6, 2004 may be the result of wind-polishing debris. The pictue was taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. NASA unveiled a breathtaking color photo of the surface of Mars, the sharpest photograph ever taken on the surface of Mars. NASA scientists called the picture a "postcard," sent across 105 million miles of space to Earth. (AP Photo/photo released by NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell University)
7 of 67

** RETRANSMITTING TO CORRECT THAT THIS IMAGE IS A PANORAMIC IMAGE NOT A 3-D IMAGE IN AP PHOTO NY114 TRANSMITTED JAN. 6, 2004 ** This panoramic image from the Mars Exploration Rover's navigation camera, showing only the view from the left stereo camera aboard the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, was released by NASA Jan. 6, 2004. (AP Photo/photo released by NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell University)
8 of 67

This segment of the first color image from the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rover's airbag trails, at top left, released Wednesday Jan. 7, 2004. These depressions in the soil were made when the airbags were deflated and retracted after landing. The Mars rover has developed some minor problems, scientists said Wednesday, with an antenna and the air bags that cushioned the spacecraft's landing on Saturday. (AP Photo/photo released by NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell University)
9 of 67

This latest color "postcard from Mars," released Thursday, Jan. 8, 2004, taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, looks to the north. An effort to clear the Spirit rover's path to the surface of Mars failed, forcing engineers to attempt one last shot at removing a worrisome obstacle before they decide on an alternate route for the six-wheeled robot to follow off its lander, NASA said Thursday. A dust-coated airbag is prominent in the foreground, and a dune-like object that has piqued the interest of the science team with its dark, possibly armored top coating, can be seen on the right. (AP Photo/photo released by NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell University)
10 of 67

This is an image mosaic taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera made available by NASA on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, showing a view of Mars southwest of the rover's landing site in the Gusev Crater. The landscape shows little variation in local topography, though a narrow peak only seven to eight kilometers away is visible on the horizon. A circular depression, similar to the one dubbed Sleepy Hollow, can be seen in the foreground. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
11 of 67

** RETRANSMITTED TO CORRECT DATE TO JANUARY 9 ** In this image released Friday, Jan. 9, 2004, the martian terrain is seen through the eyes of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument that detects the infrared light, or heat, emitted by objects. The different colored circles show a spectrum of soil and rock temperatures, with red representing warmer regions and blue, cooler. The mini-thermal emission spectrometer data has been superimposed on an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera. (AP Photo/photo released by NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Arizona State University, Cornell University)
12 of 67

This true color image, released Monday, Jan. 19, 2004, taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars rover Spirit shows "Adirondack," the rover's first target rock. Spirit traversed the sandy martian terrain at Gusev Crater to arrive in front of the football-sized rock on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004, just two days after it successfully rolled off the lander. The rock was selected as Spirit's first target because its dust-free, flat surface is ideally suited for grinding. Clean surfaces also are better for examining a rock's top coating. Scientists named the angular rock after the Adirondack mountain range in New York. (AP Photo/NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell)
13 of 67

This true color image, released Monday, Jan. 19, 2004, taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration rover Spirit shows "sashimi," left, and "sushi," right, enroute the rover's first target rock (not shown). Spirit traversed the sandy martian terrain at Gusev Crater Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004, just two days after it successfully rolled off the lander. Spirit will not study these two rocks. (AP Photo/NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell)
14 of 67

This magnified look at the martian soil, released by NASA Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2004, near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site, shows coarse grains sprinkled over a fine layer of sand. The examined patch of soil is 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across. The circular grain in the lower left corner is approximately 3 millimeters (.12 inches) across, or about the size of a sunflower seed. The color in the photo roughly approximates what the human eye would see on Mars. The image is a color composite obtained by merging images acquired with the orange-tinted dust cover in both its open and closed positions. The blue tint at the lower right corner is a tag used by scientists to indicate that the dust cover is closed. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL/US Geological Survey)
15 of 67

This color image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera shows a flaky rock called Mimi, center, in this image released by NASA Friday, Feb. 13, 2004. Mimi's flaky appearance leads scientists to a number of hypotheses. Mimi could have been subjected to pressure either through burial or impact, or may have once been a dune that was cemented into flaky layers, a process that sometimes involves the action of water, according to NASA officials. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL)
16 of 67

This image made by NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity, released on Tuesday, March 2, 2004, shows a close up of the rock NASA scientists have named "El Capitan." Mars was once soaked with water, enough to support life in a "good, habitable environment,'' NASA scientists said Tuesday after reviewing data from the Mars rover Opportunity, although they said the finding doesn't prove that life existed. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
17 of 67

This image taken by the Mars Global Surveyor highlights the same cluster of craters captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as it descended to Mars on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL, Mars Global Surveyor)
18 of 67

**RETRANSMISSION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN IMAGE QUALITY** This mosaic image taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a 360 degree panoramic view of the rover on the surface of Mars taken by the rover and sent back to earth Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
19 of 67

This mosaic image taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover, "Spirit" Jan. 3, 2004 represents an overhead view of the rover on the surface of Mars. (AP Photo/NASA)
20 of 67

This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's front hazard avoidance camera shows the rover in the final stage of its stand-up process late Thursday night Pacific Standard Time, Jan. 8, 2004. The two wheels on the bottom right and left are locked into position, along with the suspension system. The martian landscape is in the background. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL, HO)
21 of 67

This mosaic image taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, released by NASA Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, has been reprocessed to project a clear overhead view of the rover on the surface of Mars. NASA's Spirit rover has fully unfolded itself and stretched up to its full 4-foot, 9-inch height, making it ready to drive off the lander that delivered it to Mars, the space agency said Saturday. (AP Photo/released by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
22 of 67

This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rear hazard avoidance camera shows the rover's hind view of the lander platform, showing tracks left on the martian soil by the rover's wheels Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004. The rover is approximately 1 meter (3 feet) in front of the airbag-cushioned lander, facing northwest. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL)
23 of 67

This image mosaic taken by the panoramic camera on board the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rover's landing site, the Columbia Memorial Station, at Gusev Crater, Mars. To the right are the east hills, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) away from the lander. The picture was taken on the 16th martian day, or sol, of the mission (Jan. 18/19, 2004). A portion of Spirit's solar panels appear in the foreground. Data from the panoramic camera's green, blue and infrared filters were combined to create this approximate true color image. (AP Photo/NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell)
24 of 67

This black-and-white image released Monday, Jan. 19, 2004, by the rear hazard-avoidance cameras on NASA's Spirit rover shows tracks in the martian soil as it moves away from its lander, visible at upper right. The two rocks in the upper left part of the image are sashimi, left, and sushi, which Spirit will bypass in order to study the rock Adirondack (not seen). (AP Photo/NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell)
25 of 67

This black and white image taken Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004, shows the Spirit rover probing its first target, a large, sharply angled rock scientists have dubbed "Adirondack." At the time this picture was made, Spirit had begun analyzing the rock with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, located at the end of its robotic arm, which helps determine the elemental composition of martian rocks and soil. (AP Photo/NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell)
26 of 67

This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera made available on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2004, shows where the rover's airbags left impressions in the martian soil. The drag marks were made after the rover successfully landed at Meridiani Planum and its airbags were retracted. The rover can be seen in the foreground. The unmanned, six-wheeled rover landed at 9:05 p.m. PST Saturday Jan. 24, 2004 in Meridiani Planum, NASA said. (AP Photo/NASA)
27 of 67

This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera shows where the rover's airbag seams left impressions in the martian soil. The drag marks were made after the rover lander and its airbags were retracted. The rover can be seen in the foreground. The unmanned, six-wheeled rover landed at 9:05 p.m. PST Saturday Jan. 24, 2004 in Meridiani Planum, NASA said. (AP Photo/NASA)
28 of 67

This image shows one of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's first breathtaking views of the martian landscape after its successful landing at Meridiani Planum on Mars. On the left, the rover's mast can be seen in a stowed position. Opportunity landed Saturday night Jan. 24, 2004 at approximately 9:05 PST. The image was taken by the rover's navigation camera. (AP Photo/NASA)
29 of 67

This image, taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit front hazard-identification camera after the rover's first post-egress drive on Mars Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004, shows Spirit's first rock target, dubbed Adirondack, seen in the center of the image. Initial measurements reveal the rock is an olivine-rich basalt, a volcanic rock that is the most common type on the surface of Earth and does not require water to form. (AP PHOTO/NASA/JPL, HO)
30 of 67

This image, released Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, taken by one of the rear hazard-avoidance cameras on NASA's Opportunity rover, shows Opportunity's landing platform, with freshly made tracks leading away from it. Opportunity rolled about 11 feet on Thursday, the first day it has moved since it left the lander on Saturday. Engineers commanded Opportunity to turn slightly during the drive, to test how it steers while rolling through the martian soil. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
31 of 67

FILE - This fiile photo released by NASA Feb. 10, 2004,shows the Mars Spirit rover (foreground). The odometer on Spirit remains stuck at 4.8 miles. Not only is it immobile, it's been incommunicado since last March. This double dose of bad luck hangs over the spacecraft, which marks its seventh year on Mars Monday. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL, File)
32 of 67

This image, taken by the microscopic imager, an instrument located on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity 's instrument deployment device, or "arm," reveals shiny, spherical objects embedded within the trench wall at Meridiani Planum, Mars in this image released by NASA Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004. The area in this image measures approximately 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL)
33 of 67

NASA's Mars Spirit rover is shown in front of a 3 inch (7 cm) deep trench created when it dragged its left front wheel back and forth on Friday, Feb. 20, 2004. Scientists and engineers will soon begin up-close inspection of the soil in this trench. (AP Photo/ NASA, JPL)
34 of 67

NASA's Mars Spirit rover is shown inspecting a 3 inch (7 cm) deep trench, created by its left front wheel, with its robotic arm, in this image taken on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004 and released by NASA on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2004. (AP Photo/ NASA, JPL)
35 of 67

This is a microscopic photograph of a Mars rock taken by NASA's Opportunity rover that has triggered excitement among scientists. This image, posted on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars rovers Web site, shows a highly detailed surface on a rock, dubbed "El Capitan," that has been undergoing examination by the robot geologist. Scientists weren't ready to say where the observations are leading their speculation, a mission official said Monday. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
36 of 67

This image made by NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity using its microscopic imager, released on Tuesday, March 2, 2004, shows geological features of the rock NASA scientists have named "El Capitan." The scale of the image is approximately 1.2 inches (3 cm) across. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
37 of 67

This composite panaromic image made by NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity, foreground, released on Tuesday, March 2, 2004, shows the lander from which the rover began its explorations of Mars. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
38 of 67

This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's navigation camera shows the rocky landscape lying due east of the rover, with boulders as large as 1.6 feet dotting the terrain. The east hills, over 1.3 miles away, can be seen to the far right. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL)
39 of 67

The Earth, appearing as a small white dot in the center of the picture, is shown in this mosaic of images taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. The image is the first-ever picture of Earth taken from the surface of another planet. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL/Cornell, HO)
40 of 67

This is a view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's position outside "Eagle Crater," the rover's landing point on Mars. Scientists working on NASA's twin rover mission to Mars said Friday, March 26, 2004, that they are settling in for the long haul, as they ready to dispatch the six-wheeled robots on extended treks that could stretch into the late summer. NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers are on the verge of embarking on extended drives at their respective landing sites on opposite sidesof the planet. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
41 of 67

NASA'S Mars rover Opportunity took this composite image of "Endurance" Crater released by NASA Wednesday, June 2, 2004. The potential scientific value of exploring Endurance Crater outweighs the risk that the six-wheeled rover may not be able to drive back up its inner slopes, mission officials said Friday, June 4, 2004. The earliest Opportunity could be sent into the 140-yard-diameter crater would be early next week, NASA said. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL)
42 of 67

NASA'S Mars rover Opportunity took this composite image of Endurance Crater released by NASA Wednesday, June 2, 2004. NASA's rover Spirit is pressing onward toward intriguing martian hills and its twin, Opportunity, is studying this crater on the opposite side of Mars. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL)
43 of 67

The Mars Pathfinder rover vehicle and an impact-stopping airbag is shown on the surface of Mars in this image transmitted to Earth from the Mars Pathfinder probe Friday, July 4, 1997. A section of the airbags on the right has blocked the path of the rover's exit ramp, delaying the deployment of the rover. (AP Photo/JPL)
44 of 67

As seen in this image from NASA television, the Sojourner rover sits atop the Mars Pathfinder probe on the surface of Mars Friday, July 4, 1997. The image was reworked and released Saturday, July 5. NASA scientists, who are dealing with a communications problem with Sojourner, are hoping to deploy the rover later Saturday. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
45 of 67

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Pathfinder team members name the Martian terrain with stick on notes in this picture also showing the Sojourner rover in the foreground in Pasadena, Calif., Sunday, July 6, 1997. (AP Photo/Sam Mircovich,Pool)
46 of 67

Tracks made by the Sojourner rover are visible in this image, taken by the now-deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sunday, July 6, 1997, and released Monday, July 7. The tracks represent the rover maneuvering towards the rock dubbed "Barnacle Bill." The rover, having exited the lander via the rear ramp, first traveled towards the right portion of the image, and then moved forward towards the left where Barnacle Bill sits. The fact that the rover was making defined tracks indicates that the soil is made up of particles on a micron scale. (AP Photo/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
47 of 67

The Sojourner rover is visible alongside the rock dubbed "Barnacle Bill" in this image, one of the first taken by the deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sunday, July 6, 1997, and released Monday, July 7. The rover has moved from this position into one that later facilitated its using the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument on "Barnacle Bill." The APXS, located at the rear of the rover, is not visible in this image. (AP Photo/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
48 of 67

The undeployed Sojourner rover is seen still latched to a lander petal in this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on the lander's first day on Mars, Friday, July 4, 1997, and released Sunday, July 6. Portions of a petal and deflated airbag are seen in the foreground. The rectangular rock at center right has been dubbed "Flat Top," and may be a possible object of study for Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument. (AP Photo/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
49 of 67

This is a black and white photo showing the Mars Pathfinder rover Sojourner leaving tracks on Mars after deploying from the lander's ramp going over a Martian rock Saturday, July 5, 1997, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo)
50 of 67

Several possible targets of study for rover Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument are seen in this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Saturday, July 5, 1997, and released Sunday, July 6. The smaller rock at left has been dubbed "Barnacle Bill," while the larger rock at right, approximately 3-4 meters from the lander, is now nicknamed "Yogi." Barnacle Bill is scheduled to be the first object of study for the APXS. Portions of a petal and deflated airbag arealso visible at lower right. (AP Photo/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
51 of 67

A close-up of the rectangular rock called "Flat Top" is visible in this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Friday, July 4, 1997, and released Sunday, July 6. The rock is of interest to researchers and may be a future target for the rover Sojourner's studies. (AP Photo/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
52 of 67

The Mars Pathfinder rover Sojourner "kisses" the rock nicknamed "Barnacle Bill" Monday, July 7, 1997, in this image from NASA Television. The red arrow marks the spot where the rover touches the rock to gather data. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
53 of 67

The Mars Pathfinder lander is shown in the upper right corner in this photo taken by the Sojourner rover Monday, July 7, 1997, in this image from NASA Television. The tracks from the rover are pointed out by the red arrow, lower right, used by trackers for illustrative purposes. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
54 of 67

The Sojourner Mars rover makes contact with the rock "Yogi" in this image, taken with the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) at 8:45 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 9, 1997. The rover's left rear wheel has driven up onto Yogi in an attempt to get as close as possible to the rock's surface. Scientists have failed to pull the Mars rover off the rock, where it has been stuck because an 11-minute miscalculation kept the mother ship from getting its daily radio instructions, NASA said Friday, July 11, 1997. (AP Photo/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
55 of 67

This microscopic mosaic image of the rock named "Last Chance," taken by the Mars Opportunity Rover and released by NASA, Tuesday March 23, 2004, shows textures that scientists say provides evidence sediments forming the rock were laid down by flowing water. Mars once had a briny pool of standing water on its surface that could have supported life in the now-frozen planet's distant past, NASA scientists said Tuesday, March 23, 2004. (AP Photo/Nasa/JPL/Cornell/ARC)
56 of 67

This image of the rock named "Last Chance," taken on March 2, 2004 from the Mars Opportunity Rover and released by NASA, Tuesday March 23, 2004, shows textures that scientists say provides evidence sediments forming the rock were laid down by flowing water. Mars once had a briny pool of standing water on its surface that could have supported life in the now-frozen planet's distant past, NASA scientists said Tuesday, March 23, 2004. (AP Photo/Nasa/JPL/Cornell/ARC)
57 of 67

This is an artist's rendering of a Mars Exploration Rover. A Delta II rocket is scheduled to launch the first of two Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions for NASA on Sunday June 8, 2003. (AP Photo/NASA)
58 of 67

The Mars rover, named Opportunity, is shown in this artist conception released by NASA. A Delta II rocket is scheduled to launch Opportunity on Saturday June 28, 2003 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. carrying the vehicle. (AP Photo/NASA/HO)
59 of 67

NASA is sending an unmanned, microwave oven-sized rover, lower left, named Sojourner to roam across the surface of Mars to analyze rocks along with the red planet's weather three years after the $1 billion Mars Observer was lost in space. At right in this artist's rendering is the lander which deploys an air bag system for a soft landing and handles data transmission. The rover is part of the Mars Pathfinder mission set for a Dec. 2, 1996, launch at Cape Canaveral. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)
60 of 67

A model of the Rocky 7 Long Range Science Rover rests in the landscape at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Tuesday, July 16, 1996, in Pasadena, Calif., during a workshop for toy and game manufacturers sponsored by NASA. The rover will be manufactured as a child's toy by Mattel, which has an exculsive license to produce and market the item. (AP Photo/Rene Macura)
61 of 67

NASA'S next-generation Mars rover, FIDO -- Field Integrated Design and Operations, is tested Thursday, April 29, 1999, in the Mojave Desert near Baker, Calif. FIDO is designed to help scientists figure out how to use the kinds of instruments the next Mars rovers will need to fetch the most scientifically interesting rocks. The rovers, which are being built and tested by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., should collect samples likely to contain the evidence to prove that life once existed on Mars. (AP Photo/JPL/NASA)
62 of 67

An unidentified NASA engineer finishes the assembly of one of two Mars Exploration rovers inside a clean room in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, Feb. 7, 2003. NASA is readying identical twin rovers for a mission to Mars, where the six-wheeled buggies will prospect for geologic evidence that the Red Planet once had enough water to support life. Engineers at JPL are scrambling to finish assembling and testing the two rovers for launch on separate rockets in May and June. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
63 of 67

Senior mechanical systems engineer Paul V. Hardy stands next to a nearly fully-assembled Mars Exploration rover inside a clean room in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, Feb. 7, 2003. NASA is readying identical twin rovers for a mission to Mars, where the six-wheeled buggies will prospect for geologic evidence that the Red Planet once had enough water to support life. Engineers at JPL are scrambling to finish assembling and testing the two rovers for launch on separate rockets in May and June. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
64 of 67

Senior mechanical systems engineer Paul V. Hardy stands underneath the Mars Exploration rover's cruise stage - the round device that will carry the rover into space, mounted inside a 12-sided support frame - inside a clean room in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, Feb. 7, 2003. NASA is readying identical twin rovers for a mission to Mars, where the six-wheeled buggies will prospect for geologic evidence that the Red Planet once had enough water to support life. Engineers at JPL are scrambling to finish assembling and testing the two rovers for launch on separate rockets in May and June. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
65 of 67

Shown upside down to read the names, a plaque commemorating the STS-107 Space Shuttle Columbia crew is shown as the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit undergoes final checkout March 28, 2003, in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The plaque is mounted on the high-gain antenna of the rover, that landed on Mars on Jan. 4, 2004. (AP Photo/NASA)
66 of 67

The Mars Exploration Rover-B (MER-B) stands in a servicing facility at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in this undated publicity photo. Atop the rover are cameras, mounted on a rotating mast. The rover, slated for launch on June 25, 2003, is among an international group of unmanned probes, including robotic spacecraft from Britain, Europe, Japan and the United States that should begin to arrive at the planet Mars in December. (AP Photo/NASA)
67 of 67

Steve Squyres, principal scientist of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover program, poses next to a full scale copy, minus some instruments, of Spirit and Opportunity, two identical robot explorers currently enroute to Mars, at a mockup of the Martian surface in a parking lot behind the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Nov. 21, 2003. The NASA rover program is just one of several missions that in the next few weeks will try to provide answers to questions scientists have aboutthe Red Planet. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)