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3 unusual facts about Mars Pathfinder


Morten Bo Madsen

Madsen participated in the design and analysis of the five Danish magnetic experiments taken on the 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission.

Rocker-bogie

The Rocker-Bogie system is the suspension arrangement used in the Mars rovers (mechanical robot) introduced for the Mars Pathfinder and also used on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) missions.

Wynnewood, Oklahoma

People of note born in Wynnewood include musician Roy Milton, General Tommy Franks, who commanded the invasion forces of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, and Donna Shirley, who led the Mars Pathfinder project at JPL and James Allen, former NFL running back for the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.


Maxon Motor

maxon motors became known to a broader public when its products were chosen by the NASA for the Mars rover projects Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity.

Timekeeping on Mars

For the Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rover, Phoenix, and Mars Science Laboratory missions, the operations team has worked on "Mars time", with a work schedule synchronized to the local time at the landing site on Mars, rather than the Earth day.

Viking spacecraft biological experiments

Mars Pathfinder's Sojourner rover and the Mars Exploration Rovers each used this landing technique successfully.


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