WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility position an overhead crane over the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle will be moved to a rotation table for a spin stabilization test. There are two identical rovers that will land at different regions of Mars and are designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The first rover, MER-A, is scheduled to launch June 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The second is scheduled for launch June 25.