Summary: NASA knows Mars rover Spirit's landing site as Columbia Memorial Station in honor of seven Columbia astronauts who perished during descent in 2003.
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| False-color composite traverse map, created by Mars rover Spirit's panoramic camera (Pancam) on mission Martian date sol 65 (March 10, 2004), depicts 328-meter (1,076-feet) journey northeast from lander at Columbia Memorial Station (upper center) to rim of Bonneville Crater (lower center); false-color composite traverse map generated from three different wavelength filters (750 nanometers, 530 nanometers, 480 nanometers); Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/OSU; Image Addition Date: 2004-03-17: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal |
NASA's name for Mars rover Spirit's 2004 landing site is Columbia Memorial Station as a tribute to the seven Columbia astronauts who perished during the space shuttle's descent in 2003.
Spirit was launched Tuesday, June 10, 2003, at 1:58:47 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time EDT (17:58:47 Coordinated Universal Time UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's (CCSFS) Space Launch Complex 17 (SLC-17). A standard Delta II 7925 rocket served as Spirit's launch vehicle.
The Mars Exploration Rover (MER), known also as MER-A or MER-2, completed its descent onto the surface of Mars on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004, at 11:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time EST (Sunday, Jan. 4, 2004, at 04:35 UTC). Spirit successfully landed in Gusev Crater, a large impact crater in the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle. The landing site comprised a "generally flat plain" detailed with such unassuming geological features as "small, shallow depressions," known as hollows, and indefinite ridges, according to American planetary geology John A. Grant III in "Geology of the Columbia Memorial Station, Gusev Crater, Mars," presented as Abstract U43A-03 at the 2004 Joint Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU), held Monday, May 17, to Friday, May 21, in Montreal, Canada.
A special plaque numbered among the paraphernalia efficiently affixed to Spirit. The disc-shaped plaque was composed of aluminum. Its diameter measured approximately six inches. Chris Voorhees and Peter Illsley, mechanical engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, are credited with designing the plaque.
Attachment of the plaque occurred on Friday, March 28, 2003, at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) in the Industrial Area at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), located on Merritt Island on Florida's east central coast. The plaque was affixed to the disc-shaped, steerable high-gain antenna on Spirit's equipment deck. The flexible high-gain antenna was designed for beaming information in a specific direction without necessitating changing the rover's position.
The commemorative plaque's dedication, "In Memoriam To The Crew Of The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107. February 1, 2003," is inscribed to the right of the flight insignia for STS-107. Below the dedication, the mission's seven astronauts are listed: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, Ilan Ramon. An Israel flag appears to the right of first Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon's name. An American flag is depicted beneath the listed crewmembers.
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| Mars rover Spirit's paraphernalia includes an aluminum, approximately six-inch diameter plaque that commemorates the seven fallen astronauts of Space Shuttle Columbia's 28th and last mission; Chris Voorhees and Peter Illsley, Mars Exploration Rover (MER) engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, designed the plaque; John F. Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility attached the plaque to Spirit's high-gain antenna, a disc-shaped, steerable tool for beaming information in a specific direction, on March 28, 2003; image of commemorative plaque taken on Mars by Spirit's navigation camera (navcam); Image Credit: NASA/JPL; Image Addition Date: 2004-01-07: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal |
The commemorative plaque's dedication, "In Memoriam To The Crew Of The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107. February 1, 2003," is inscribed to the right of the flight insignia for STS-107. Below the dedication, the mission's seven astronauts are listed: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, Ilan Ramon. An Israel flag appears to the right of first Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon's name. An American flag is depicted beneath the listed crewmembers.
NASA's official insignia occupies the plaque's lower left sector, to the left of the United States flag. The insignia, known as "meatball," was designed in 1959 by American NASA artist-designer James J. Modarelli (Oct. 25, 1915-Sep. 27, 2002), who then headed the Reports Division at NASA Lewis Research Center (renamed Monday, March 1, 1999, as NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field), headquartered in Brook Park and Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, northeastern Ohio. Modarelli's design prevailed as NASA's official logo from 1959 to 1975. It was replaced in 1975 by "the worm," a modernistic, stylized logotype by Richard Danne (born 1934) and Bruce Nelson Blackburn (June 2, 1938-Feb. 1, 2021), graphic designers and founders of the New York-based design firm of Danne and Blackburn, Inc. "The meatball" was restored to official status in 1992.
After Spirit's historic, weekend settling on the Martian surface, Sean Charles O'Keefe (born Jan. 27, 1956), NASA's 10th Administrator (Dec. 21, 2001-Dec. 13, 2004), announced on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the name of Columbia Memorial Station as designator of Spirit's landing site, according to NASA's press release, "Space Shuttle Columbia Crew Memorialized On Mars," dated Jan. 6, 2004, by Glenn Mahone and Bob Jacobs. The announcement was made less than a month before Feb. 1, 2004, the first anniversary of the Columbia crew's deaths during the orbiter's fiery disintegration in Earth's atmosphere.
Since landing, Spirit had been transmitting "extraordinary images of its new surroundings." A selfie, focusing on the commemorative plaque, appeared among Spirit's transmissions to the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) team.
"During this time of great joy for NASA, the Mars Exploration Rover team and the entire NASA family paused to remember our lost colleagues from the Columbia mission. To venture into space, into the unknown, is a calling heard by the bravest, most dedicated individuals," recalled NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "As team members gazed at Mars through Spirit's eyes, the Columbia memorial appeared in images returned to Earth, a fitting tribute to their own spirit and dedication. Spirit carries the dream of exploration the brave astronauts of Columbia held in their hearts."
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| Image obtained by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft on March 30, 2004, shows Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A; MER-2) Spirit's landing site, named Columbia Memorial Station by NASA on Jan. 6, 2004, with backshell and parachute (upper left), heat shield on rim of Bonneville Crater (upper right), Spirit rover (center right), lander (lower center) and tracks between lander and rover: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Acknowledgment
My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.
Image credits:
Image credits:
False-color composite traverse map, created by Mars rover Spirit's panoramic camera (Pancam) on mission Martian date sol 65 (March 10, 2004), depicts 328-meter (1,076-feet) journey northeast from lander at Columbia Memorial Station (upper center) to rim of Bonneville Crater (lower center); false-color composite traverse map generated from three different wavelength filters (750 nanometers, 530 nanometers, 480 nanometers); Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/OSU; Image Addition Date: 2004-03-17: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05009
Mars rover Spirit's paraphernalia includes an aluminum, approximately six-inch diameter plaque that commemorates the seven fallen astronauts of Space Shuttle Columbia's 28th and last mission; Chris Voorhees and Peter Illsley, Mars Exploration Rover (MER) engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, designed the plaque; John F. Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility attached the plaque to Spirit's high-gain antenna, a disc-shaped, steerable tool for beaming information in a specific direction, on March 28, 2003; image of commemorative plaque taken on Mars by Spirit's navigation camera (Navcam); Image Credit: NASA/JPL; Image Addition Date: 2004-01-07: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05009
Image obtained by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft on March 30, 2004, shows Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A; MER-2) Spirit's landing site, named Columbia Memorial Station by NASA on Jan. 6, 2004, with backshell and parachute (upper left), heat shield on rim of Bonneville Crater (upper right), Spirit rover (center right), lander (lower center) and tracks between lander and rover: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cratere_Bonneville_Rover_Spirit.gif
For further information:
For further information:
Grant, J.A. (John A. Grant III). "Geology of the Columbia Memorial Station, Gusev Crater, Mars." 2004 Joint Meeting: AGU and the Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) -- Montreal, Canada, May 17-21, 2004 (Monday-Friday). Section: Union; Session: New Views of Mars and Its Environment; Identifier: U43A-03.
Available via AGU Abstract Browser @ https://abstractsearch.agu.org/meetings/2004/SM/U43A-03.html
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252883501_Geology_of_the_Columbia_Memorial_Station_Gusev_Crater_Mars
Available via AGU Abstract Browser @ https://abstractsearch.agu.org/meetings/2004/SM/U43A-03.html
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252883501_Geology_of_the_Columbia_Memorial_Station_Gusev_Crater_Mars
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mars Exploration Rover Fact Sheet." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory > NASA Facts. Oct. 1, 2004.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://d2pn8kiwq2w21t.cloudfront.net/documents/mars03rovers_t6lfTK7.pdf
Available via NASA Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/24892/mars-exploration-rover-fact-sheet/
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://d2pn8kiwq2w21t.cloudfront.net/documents/mars03rovers_t6lfTK7.pdf
Available via NASA Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/24892/mars-exploration-rover-fact-sheet/
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA05009: Plaque on Spirit Honors Columbia Astronauts." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL. Image Addition Date: 2004-01-07.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05009
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/PLAN-PIA05009
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05009
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/PLAN-PIA05009
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA05117: Empty Nest." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell. Image Addition Date: 2004-01-21.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05117
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05117
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA05574: The Road to 'Bonneville'." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/OSU. Image Addition Date: 2004-03-17.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05574
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05574
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA05591: Spirit's Destination (panorama)." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell. Image Addition Date: 2004-03-19.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05591
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05591
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA15038: Spirit Lander and Bonneville Crater in Color." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona. Image Addition Date: 2012-02-08.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA15038
Available via Arizona State University LPL (Lunar & Planetary Laboratory) HiRISE @ https://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_025815_1655
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA15038
Available via Arizona State University LPL (Lunar & Planetary Laboratory) HiRISE @ https://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_025815_1655
Mahone, Glenn; and Bob Jacobs. "Space Shuttle Columbia Crew Memorialized On Mars." NASA Mars Exploration > Mars Exploration Rovers > Newsroom > Press Releases. Jan. 6, 2004.
Available via NASA Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/newsroom/pressreleases/20040106b.html
Available via NASA Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/newsroom/pressreleases/20040106b.html
Marriner, Derdriu. "Gusev Crater in Southern Mars Honors Russian Astronomer Matvey Gusev." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/04/gusev-crater-in-southern-mars-honors.html
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/04/gusev-crater-in-southern-mars-honors.html
Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera. "Annotated MGS MOC view of MER-A (Spirit) Lander and Vicinity on 19 January 2004." MSSS Malin Space Science Systems > Mars Images > MOC.
Available via MSSS (Malin Space Science Systems) @ https://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2004/01/23/
Available via This Day in Aviation @ https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/4-january-2004/rover-landingsite-r1/
Available via MSSS (Malin Space Science Systems) @ https://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2004/01/23/
Available via This Day in Aviation @ https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/4-january-2004/rover-landingsite-r1/
NASA/JPL. Plaque on Spirit Honors Columbia Astronauts. Internet Archive > NASA/JPL > PIA05009.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/PLAN-PIA05009
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/PLAN-PIA05009
NASA Mars Exploration. "Spirit Updates: 2004." NASA Mars Exploration > Mission > Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) >Rover Update > Spirit.
Available via NASA Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/rover-status/spirit/2004/all/
Available via NASA Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/rover-status/spirit/2004/all/
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