It appears that NASA has succeeded in landing and receiving a signal from their Mars rover “Spirit”.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – A NASA rover plunged through the atmosphere of Mars and bounced down upon its rocky surface Saturday night, beginning a mission to roam the Red Planet in search of evidence that it was once suitable for life.
Radio signals received on Earth minutes after the landing suggested the Spirit rover survived, prompting mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to let out whoops of delight.
The Spirit rover is the first of two identical robots that will roam the planet’s rocky surface if all goes as planned.
Just a few hours after landing, Spirit sent back its first images from Mars’ Gusev crater.