PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Mars Pathfinder Mission Status
July 26, 1997
3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
The Mars Pathfinder lander and rover remain healthy and are continuing to carry out science experiments on this Martian day, Sol 22. The Earth rose over Mars at 11:28 p.m. PDT July 25. The sun rose today at 2:33 a.m. PDT.

Sojourner's self-guided journey to the rock "Souffle" was interrupted briefly by a software sequencing error, which was identified and corrected immediately. A sequencing error is easily corrected by modifying the numerical coding in the program responsible for executing the command, just as a computer user would modify coding in a program that runs the main menu or desktop functions of a personal computer.

"The problem was corrected immediately and a new sequence was radiated to the rover during the second downlink session," said Becky Manning, flight director for Sol 22. "By the end of that session, ground controllers had received confirmation that the rover had successfully received and was executing the instructions to continue its traverse to Souffle."

Sojourner will leave Souffle on Sol 23 and circumnavigate the lander. When that journey has been completed, the rover will be in the vicinity of three new rocks named "Baker Bench," "Desert Princess" and "Marvin."

The Mars Pathfinder lander imager (IMP) returned more data from the "insurance" panorama and "super" panorama today. It is preparing to take the standard end-of-the-day photograph of the rover before surface operations conclude in 30 minutes.

On Sol 22, the Earth set over Mars at 1:04 p.m. today. The sun will set in about 25 minutes, at 3:25 p.m. PDT.

An audio briefing on Mars Pathfinder activities is updated at the conclusion of each Martian day by calling 1-800-391-6654.

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