Space Exploration Highlights
Spirit, also known as MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A), was a Mars robotic rover that operated from 2004 to 2010.
Mission Highlights:
Spirit MER-A was launched on June 10 1973. It had a twin rover called Opportunity (MER-B), which landed on the other side of the planet.
Spirit outperformed expectations, operating for 2208 sols (equivalent to 6 years and 77 days), far beyond its planned 90-sol.
It was one of two rovers of NASA’s ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission.
It landed successfully on Mars on January 4, 2004, three weeks before its twin, Opportunity (MER-B), landed on the other side of the planet.
Its name was chosen through a NASA-sponsored student essay competition.
The rover became stuck in late 2009, and its last communication with Earth was sent on March 22, 2010.
Significance:
🌟 Spirit explored the history of climate and water on Mars. It uncovered strong evidence that Mars was once much wetter than it is today.
🌟 The rover traveled 7.73 km (4.8 mi) instead of the planned 600 m (0.4 mi), allowing extensive geological analysis.
Legacy:
Spirit’s resilience and discoveries continue to inspire our understanding of the Red Planet.
Explorer 49, also known as Radio Astronomy Explorer-2 (RAE-B), was a NASA satellite launched into lunar orbit on June 10, 1973.
Mission:
It was a 328 kilogram satellite for long wave radio astronomy research.
It was the second Radio astronomy satellite of NASA after Explorer 38 launched in July 1968.
With four 230-meter long X-shaped antenna elements, it was one of the largest spacecraft ever built.
It was put into a lunar orbit (1123 Km × 1334 Km) with 61.3 degree inclination to provide radio astronomical measurements of planets, the Sun, and the galaxy..
It was launched after the termination of the Apollo program, and although it did not examine the Moon directly, it became the last American lunar mission until the launch of Clementine spacecraft in 1994.
Equipped with Ryle-Vonberg radiometers, swept-frequency burst receivers, and an impedance probe for calibration.
Duration:
Explorer 49 successfully operated for 4 years and 2 months.
Legacy:
It was the final U.S. mission to the Moon for 21 years, studying low-frequency radio emissions from our solar system and beyond.
Source:
– Compiled by Sri P J Bhat Sir
– Kalam Space Club
– Conversation with Copilot