This site contains information about the Mars Exploration Rovers. The explorers, two robotic rovers designed and built by NASA, were launched toward Mars in June and July of 2003. They landed in January 2004, on opposite sides of the planet: the rover Spirit in a surface feature called Gusev Crater, and the rover Opportunity in a large crater called Meridiani Planum. Both rovers are equipped with ... Full description.

This NASA fact sheet provides a description of two new Mars rovers: Spirit and Opportunity. The document describes instruments mounted on the rovers as well as some details about the mission goals and procedures. Full description.

This Exploratorium site provides the latest information about the two Mars rovers landing on Mars in 2004. It includes resources about the search for life on Mars, the Martian environment, and the mechanics of the Mars rovers themselves. Hands-on activities and a live webcast are also provided. Full description.

Since landing on Mars in January 2004, Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Exploration Rovers, have helped scientists learn an amazing amount about the red planet. The sophisticated rovers far exceeded expectations with the geological clues they have dug up about the planet's past. In this video tour of the rover landing sites, the mission's principal science investigator, Steve Squyres, describes some ... Full description.

This series of animations depicts the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) in various stages of its current mission. Videos are divided into: Launch and Cruise; Entry, Descent and Landing on Mars; and Exploring the Martian Surface. Full description.

In this activity students build a simulated Martian rover, a remote controlled vehicle used to explore the surface of Mars. Students will build a rover vehicle and test their remote driving abilities by observing its surroundings through a monitor display. The site also provides suggestions for extensions of this activity including further research on the Martian rovers, further research into virtual ... Full description.

It is not easy to get to Mars. Dozens of past missions have failed, with only a handful even attempting to land on the planet's surface. However, in January 2004, careful planning paid off when the Mars Exploration Rover mission successfully landed two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. This video segment, adapted from a NOVA television broadcast, describes the history of Mars exploration, the many failed ... Full description.

This interactive illustration, adapted from a NOVA broadcast, shows viewers in greater detail how each of the Mars Exploration Rovers that arrived on the Red Planet in 2004 was equipped to travel, communicate, survive on the Martian surface, and collect data, particularly information to determine whether water was ever present. Users can roll their mouse over a highlighted feature to see a magnified ... Full description.

This collection includes QuickTime, MPEG-1, and GIF animations and interactive images of Martian exploration and geology. These visualizations illustrate Mars' surface geology and historical and current water presence and display information from the Spirit, Opportunity, Pathfinder, and Sojourner rovers and landers. Many of the visualizations have long download times, but are well worth your patience. ... Full description.

This radio broadcast discusses the possible discovery of a tenth planet, which may be bigger than Pluto. The object, with the temporary name of 2003UB313, lies 10 billion miles from the sun in the Kuiper Belt. The broadcast explains what the Kuiper belt is and discusses whether the new find should get planetary status. This segment of the broadcast is 6 minutes in length. The next segment discusses ... Full description.