Mars Pathfinder was a probe we sent to Mars of course. It is not to be confused with Pathfinder which is a plane flown by NASA.

Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996 at 06:58 Universal Time, It arrived at Mars on July 4, 1997, seven months later. It was launched on a Delta II rocket and the weight of the lander was 264 kg, with the rover weighing 10.5 kg. The unit was powered by solar panels. It was a so called low cost project. The mission was to demonstrate the feasibility of low cost landings on and exploration of the Martian surface.

Getting the Mars Pathfinder ready

Launching the Mars Pathfinder with a Delta II Rocket

Testing of Mars Pathfinder and Viking Lander Model

I couldn't resist commenting on the way these tests were conducted. Note that the objects look like the accepted ufo shapes. In other words they look like saucers.

Left: Landing balloons to cushion landing
Middle: Mars Pathfinder Landing Site
Right: Artist's conception of descent

Left: Artist's conception of Mars Pathfinder almost at touchdown
Middle: Touchdown
Right: Exploring

Left: Climbing a small obstacle
Middle: Mars View
Right: Mars View Different Direction, in true color

Left: Half Dome View
Middle: Another Rock
Right: Exploring among the rocks

Left: Beautiful Panorama of landing site after landing
Middle: Here is our little explorer again
Right: Composite View

The Spirit Lander on Mars

Hopefully men (or women) will be walking on Mars in the not too distant future. The main problem still is the radiation factor. Since the trip currently takes about 5-7 months any astronaut will get a nice dose of radiation. We are in desperate need of light weight shielding and speed. As soon as we can acquire the shielding, even without further speed, we could fly there. When the astronauts were asked if they would fly to Mars, one of them replied that he would do it if he was an older man, because of the radiation hazard.