NASA History: Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Lands On The Red Planet 13 Years Ago

By  //  January 3, 2017

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On January 3, 2004, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landed at Gusev Crater on the Red Planet. Spirit launched on June 10, 2003, and spent nearly 6 months journeying to Mars. (NASA Image)

NASA – On January 3, 2004, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landed at Gusev Crater on the Red Planet. Spirit launched on June 10, 2003, and spent nearly 6 months journeying to Mars.

Although originally baselined for only a 90-day mission, the Spirit rover exceeded its parameters by more than 28 times.

The mission finally ended more than 7 years later on May 25, 2011, after Spirit became mired in the sands of Mars.

This mosaic image was taken by Spirit’s navigation camera shortly after landing and shows a 360 degree panoramic view of the rover on the surface of Mars.