Pathfinder safely landed on Mars!
The above image was returned July 4th showing the Martian horizon and the
Rover, Sojourner. Distortions in this image, 
and the others below are caused by "seaming" the data
that was returned. Some of the images are clickable for a full size version,
but beware, they are large!
The landing sequence went perfectly and Pathfinder, safely enclosed in airbags, bounced to a stop about 95 seconds after first impact. The landing craft and rover were unharmed. About 3 hours after landing, when the Sun had risen on Mars, Pathfinder sent signals back to JPL. The solar panels began gathering power for the craft and the low gain antenna was found to be pointing to within 1 degree of Earth. The crew at JPL were amazed that everything went so smoothly, far better than their tests on Earth!
Images sent back showed that
the airbags needed to be retracted around one pedal. of the lander so that
the ramps for the rover could safely be deployed. This was accomplished
later that night.
The landing site was a bit rockier than had been expected. Since Pathfinder landed safely, that's now considered a plus! There appears to be a variety of rocks for rover to take closer looks at.
Once the rover is deployed it will move along
at about 2 inches per hour, controlled by ground crews. Messages to and
from Mars take 10 minutes each way so there is always a lag in commands
given and action taken. Rover will explore about a football field sized
area within the next week. After that, if all is still well, Sojourner
may expand its horizons and venture farther away. The lander will act as
a weather station and communications relay for the rover. The spacecraft
still in orbit will image the Martian surface with a resolution of about
5 feet. Attempts will be made to locate the Viking landing sites of 21
years ago.
Congratulations! to all of the
people who made Pathfinder possible and many thanks to the crew at JPL
who have brought us back to the red planet.