44 Nysa

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

H. Goldschmidt

Discovery date

27 May 1857

Pronunciation

/ ˈ n aɪ s ə /

Named after

Nysa

Alternative designations

1977 CE

Minor planet category

Main belt ( Nysa )

Adjectives

Nysian / ˈ n ɪ s i ə n /

Aphelion

2.78291235 AU (416.3 Gm )

Perihelion

2.06469721 AU (308.9 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.42380478 AU (362.6 Gm)

Eccentricity

0.148158617 ± 5.7499e-08

Orbital period sidereal

3.77 yr

Mean anomaly

118.743236 ± 2.4281e-05°

Inclination

3.7028885 ± 6.2628e-06°

Longitude of ascending node

131.59519 ± 1.0657e-04°

Argument of perihelion

342.52066 ± 1.0904e-04°

Dimensions

113±10 × 67±10 × 65±12 km

Mass

(7.72 ± 3.92/1.52) × 10 kg

via Wikipedia infobox