Mars Rover Landing Sites Selected
News story originally written on April 25, 2003

Gusev Crater, the landing site for one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers. The yellow oval shows the target landing zone. Click on image for full size (59K JPEG ) NASA/JPL

NASA has chosen two locations on Mars to explore with its Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions. The missions are scheduled for launch in May and June of 2003. They will arrive on Mars in January 2004. The two landing sites the rovers will explore were chosen from a list that originally included 155 locations on the Red Planet.

Scientists are interested in finding locations on Mars that have water or that had water in the past. They believe those places provide the best chance to find signs of life. Both MER landing sites show signs of the presence of water in the past.

The two landing sites are Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum. Gusev Crater may have been filled with a large lake in the past. Meridiani Planum appears to have extensive deposits of the mineral hematite. Hematite deposits often form at hot springs, so the deposits may indicate that water was present at Meridiani Planum at some time.

Gusev Crater, the landing site for one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers. The yellow oval shows where scientists expect the rover to land. Click on image for full size (59K JPEG) NASA/JPL

NASA will soon send two robotic rovers to Mars. The rovers are the main part of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions. Rockets carrying the two rovers will be launched from Earth in May and June of 2003. The rovers will arrive on Mars in January 2004.

NASA just made the final decision about where on Mars each rover will land. NASA scientists are interested in places on Mars that might have had water. They think places that had water are the best places to search for signs of life. The two rovers will land at places where water may have been.

One rover will land in a large meteorite crater called Gusev Crater. It looks like Gusev Crater once had a large lake inside it. The other lander will touch down at a place called Meridiani Planum. Meridiani Planum seems to have a bunch of hematite in the area. Hematite is a mineral that often forms in wet places, especially hot springs. So both landing sites seem like places that once had water. Maybe the rovers will find signs of life there!

This picture shows Gusev Crater. One of the rovers will land here. The yellow area shows where NASA thinks the rover will land. Click on image for full size (59K JPEG) NASA/JPL

NASA will soon send two robot rovers to Mars. Rockets carrying the two rovers will be launched from Earth in May and June of 2003. The rovers will get to Mars in January 2004.

NASA just decided where on Mars each rover will land. The rovers will land at places on Mars where there might have been water in the past. Scientists think places that had water are the best places to search for life. The two rovers will land at places where water may have been.

One rover will explore a large crater called Gusev Crater. It looks like Gusev Crater once had a big lake inside it. The other lander will touch down at a place called Meridiani Planum. Meridiani Planum seems to have a bunch of hematite in the area. Hematite is a mineral that often forms in wet places. So both landing sites seem like places that once had water. Maybe the rovers will find fossils of Martian life there!