National

Second Mars Rover Lands, Begins Work

By Joe Palca

Published January 24, 2004 at 9:00 PM PST

This story was published more than 21 years ago.

The second Mars rover, Opportunity, lands safely on the Red Planet and begins sending back data immediately. Its twin rover, Spirit, landed three weeks ago on the other side of Mars. Spirit has experienced software difficulties, but NASA engineers are slowly solving them. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

National

Joe Palca

Joe Palca is a science correspondent for NPR. Since joining NPR in 1992, Palca has covered a range of science topics — everything from biomedical research to astronomy. From 2011 to 2020 he produced stories that explored the minds and motivations of scientists and inventors as part of his series, Joe's Big Idea. Palca is also the founder of NPR Scicommers – A science communication collective.

Fact-based local news is essential

KPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.

Without federal funding, community support is our lifeline.
Make a gift to protect the future of KPBS.

Donate

More News