On this day in space! Sept. 27, 1997: NASA's Mars Pathfinder lander sends its last transmission to Earth
On September 27, 1997, NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission concluded after sending its final data transmission from the Red Planet. The mission served as a crucial technology testbed, pioneering landing techniques and rover mobility that paved the way for future Mars exploration.
Why it matters
Pathfinder's success demonstrated the viability of lower-cost planetary exploration, influencing the design and strategy of subsequent NASA missions.
NASA's Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover made history on Mars, setting the stage for bigger missions to come.
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Click for next article Copy link Reddit Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter On Sept. 27, 1997, NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission beamed its very last data transmission back to Earth.
Pathfinder was three months into what was supposed to be just a one-month mission on Mars when the base station's battery began to fail. NASA struggled to reestablish contact with Pathfinder for another five months before giving up and calling the mission complete.
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