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The Mars Exploration Rovers:
The Corps of Discovery for Mars
The planet Mars has been studied telescopically for centuries. In the last four decades Mars has been explored by a successive armada of fly-by, orbiting and landing spacecraft. Recent, highly-successful, orbiting missions have re-written the text books on the Red Planet, although revealing many more questions with each successive answer. It will only be with a surface reconnaissance that many of these new questions and many old mysteries can be answered. That surface reconnaissance has just begun. Two intrepid explorers, the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, have successfully landed at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Plenum, respectively, to begin the surface exploration of this great new territory. Dr. John Callas, Science Manager for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, will present the opening results of this grand undertaking just starting to unfold from the surface of Mars.