31 Euphrosyne

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

J. Ferguson

Discovery date

September 1, 1854

Pronunciation

/ j uː ˈ f r ɒ s ɪ n iː /

Named after

Εὐφροσύνη Eyphrosynē

Alternative designations

A907 GP; A918 GB

Minor planet category

Main belt

Adjectives

Euphrosynean / j uː f r ɒ s ɪ ˈ n iː ə n /

Aphelion

3.8523 AU, (576.296 million km)

Perihelion

2.4585 AU, (367.786 million km)

Semi major axis

3.1554 AU , (472.041 million km)

Orbital period sidereal

5.61 yr (2041.585 d)

Mean anomaly

87.1671°

Inclination

26.3033°

Longitude of ascending node

31.1186°

Argument of perihelion

61.4704°

Dimensions

( 294 ± 6 ) × ( 280 ± 10 ) × ( 248 ± 6 ) km

Mean diameter

268 ± 4 km , 267.1 ± 2.6 km ( IRAS ) , 268 ± 6 km

Mass

(16.5 ± 2.6) × 10 kg , (17 ± 3) × 10 kg

via Wikipedia infobox