Mars Pathfinder Launches
Mars Pathfinder launched on December 4, 1996.
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The Event
Mars Pathfinder launched on December 4, 1996. The mission carried a lander and the small Sojourner rover toward Mars.
The Wider Story
Its design tested a comparatively economical approach to planetary exploration. The eventual landing used an unusual protective airbag system.
Putting the Event in Perspective
The spacecraft reached Mars in July 1997.
Reading the Historical Record
Launch-day imagery should not imply that the rover was already driving on the surface in December.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a Delta II launch in 1996 dissolving to an illustrative Pathfinder spacecraft in transit. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
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