Mars Pathfinder Update - October 8, 1997

[Ron Baalke <BAALKE@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>]

[Note: A Mars Pathfinder press conference was held today at JPL.  
 Some of the images and slides used at the press conference are
 available on the Mars Pathfinder home page:

 http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/default.html

 Ron Baalke
]


MARS PATHFINDER MISSION STATUS
8 October 1997, 12:00 p.m. PDT

The Mars Pathfinder operations team reestablished
communications with the lander on Sol 92 of the mission,
after four days of silence from the spacecraft. The team
received a transmission from the spacecraft's main
transmitter. The signal was detected using the Madrid,
Spain 34-meter antenna.

No data was received, but receipt of a spacecraft signal
indicates that the lander is operational and the battery
is offline. Meanwhile, the rover, which is programmed
to begin a contingency sequence when it has not heard
from the lander for five days, started that activity on
Sol 90. In this mode of operation, the rover is
instructed to return to the lander and begin circling
it.

The Mars Pathfinder operations team will repeat commands
tomorrow night, on Sol 93, to verify two-way
communications with the lander's main transmitter and
attempt to return engineering data on the health of the
lander and rover. If successful, that information would
be returned the following day, on Sol 94 of the mission.

For further information on the Mars Pathfinder Mission,
please call our Mission Status Report line at
1-800-391-6654.

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