Mars Pathfinder

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a mission overview of the Mars Pathfinder mission ,launched in December 1996 as part of an ongoing series of Mars missions to prepare for the landing of a man on the 'red planet' in the next century. It gives a brief mission summary, followed by a scientific description focusing on how Pathfinder made it to Mars and how it surveyed Mars's atmosphere and Mars's surface. It looks at how Mars Pathfinder was not only a huge scientific success, but also gave the public, via Internet, the opportunity to participate at a space mission at a level never experienced before.

Outline
Title
Abstract
Chapter
Introduction
Mission Summary
Science Description
Spacecraft Description
Development and Manufacturing Structure
Launch Vehicle
Mission Costs
Summary

From the Paper:

"On December 4, 1996 the pathfinder mission was launched on a Delta II-7925 launch vehicle out of Cape Canaveral Air Station. After 211 days in space and a distance traveled of almost 300 million miles the spacecraft landed on July 4, 1997 at its destination (DLR, 2003). In order to fine-tune the flight path a series of four-trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs) were performed throughout the journey. NASA used the Deep Space Network (DSN) for tracking, telemetry, and command operations. DSN is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions by using giant dish antennas (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2004)."

More papers on Mars Pathfinder:

• Essay # 14534 : "Mars Pathfinder"
• Term Paper # 134276 : "The Phoenix Mission to Mars"
• Analytical Essay # 9932 : "Life on Mars"

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