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First Picture of Sojourner on Mars
A Spectacular Fourth of July on Mars. This image was only a hour old when it was put onto this page. In a significant reversal of design philosophy, NASA is now launching at least two "simpler, cheaper" spacecraft to Mars every Earth-Mars opposition for the next ten years. This design choice has already paid off handsomely. The direct descent and landing of the Pathfinder spacecraft and its Sojourner rover was "spectacularly boring," a comment that is quite likely the highest compliment that can be given any engineering design.
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