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Opportunity Trajectory Adjusted for Mars Landing
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 11:00 pm ET
16 January 2004
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OPPORTUNITY ADJUSTED FOR MARS LANDING PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's next robotic rover to attempt a landing on Mars -- Opportunity -- underwent a trajectory correction maneuver January 16. Flight controllers here at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) commanded the Opportunity spacecraft to finesse its path to more accurately enter Mars' atmosphere on Saturday, January 24. Music played at misson control at JPL was "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas. Opportunity is slated to drop onto Meridiani Planum, an area on Mars located on the opposite side of the planet from where Spirit is now parked. As a twin to the Spirit Mars rover, Opportunity will land on January 24 about 9:05 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST). The Trajectory Correction Maneuver more precisely aligned Opportunity for its dive toward the pre-picked landing point. Meridiani Planum is an intriguing locale on Mars where mineral deposits -- specifically hematite -- are suggestive that Mars had a wet past. Mars Rovers: Complete Coverage | 
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