Overall (Tool Box): 1ft 1 1/2in. x 7 1/4in. x 4 3/4in. (34.29 x 18.42 x 12.07cm)
Overall (Black Anodized Aluminum Part): 6 9/16in. x 2 15/16in. x 1 1/16in. (16.67 x 7.46 x 2.7cm)
Type:
SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed-Parts & Structural Components
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Summary:
Mars Pathfinder was the first spacecraft to land on the surface of the red planet since the Viking mission in 1976. The artifact is a full-scale engineering prototype for a spacecraft that was launched on December 4, 1996. On reaching Mars on July 4, 1997, the spacecraft entered the planet's thin atmosphere, was slowed by a parachute and then rockets, and then landed by bouncing on inflated airbags. The protective aeroshell then unfolded to provide the three flat platforms, one of which held a rover (Sojourner).
These tools and hardware were transferred to the Museum with the Pathfinder engineering model from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1999.
Credit Line:
Transferred from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology