1236 Thaïs

Picture of the Day · NASA

Pathfinder on Mars

2026-07-04

On July 4th, 1997, using its own array of fireworks, a parachute, and a cocoon of airbags, the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft bounced like a giant beach ball at least 15 times before it came to rest on the surface of Mars at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time. After its then novel airbag-assisted landing sequence was completed, Pathfinder transmitted this color mosaic to mission operators on Earth. In the scene from another world, the Mars Sojourner robot rover is visible in the foreground, crouched on top of the unfolded Pathfinder. About the size of a large house cat, the six-wheeled, solar-powered Sojourner became the first successful Martian rover. Surrounding Pathfinder are deflated airbags and the rock-strewn terrain of the Ares Vallis floodplain. In the distance Martian hills appear against a dusty brownish sky. The Pathfinder lander was subsequently renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station.

via NASA APOD

Key facts

Discovered by

G. Neujmin

Discovery site

Simeiz Obs.

Discovery date

6 November 1931

Pronunciation

/ ˈ θ eɪ . ɪ s /

Named after

Thaïs (ancient Greek hetaira )

Alternative designations

1931 VX · 1957 LQ, 1964 JH · 1965 WA

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) background

Observation arc

84.57 yr (30,888 days)

Aphelion

3.0192 AU

Perihelion

1.8455 AU

Semi major axis

2.4323 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.79 yr (1,386 days)

Mean anomaly

216.42 °

Mean motion

0° 15 35.28 / day

Inclination

13.169°

Longitude of ascending node

48.618°

Argument of perihelion

305.94°

Mean diameter

14.43 ± 4.75 km , 17.18 ± 4.94 km , 19.163 ± 1.790 km , 20.07 ± 0.41 km , 22.34 ± 1.3 km ( IRAS :7)

via Wikipedia infobox