Why Did NASA Add Balloons to its Mars Rover?

The video explores the journey of NASA's Spirit Rover, designed to explore Mars and search for signs of past life. Despite being built for a 90-day mission, Spirit operated for six years, overcoming harsh Martian conditions. The video details Spirit's design, launch, and the perilous landing process known as the 'six minutes of terror.' It also covers Spirit's initial exploration of Mars, including a critical malfunction that was resolved by NASA engineers, allowing Spirit to continue its mission.

What was the primary mission of the Spirit Rover on Mars?

• To collect samples for return to Earth

• To map the entire surface of Mars

• To establish a human colony

• To find evidence of past water activity

Which of the following tools was NOT part of Spirit's scientific equipment?

• Rock abrasion tool

• Seismometer

• Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer

• Panoramic camera

How was the name 'Spirit' chosen for the Rover?

• Through a public vote

• By a NASA scientist

• Via a student essay competition

• By the President of the United States

What was the most challenging part of Spirit's journey to Mars?

• The entry, descent, and landing process

• Communicating with Earth

• Entering Mars' orbit

• Launching from Earth

What was the purpose of the retro rockets during Spirit's landing?

• To stabilize the Rover

• To increase speed

• To reduce speed to zero

• To deploy the parachute

Where did Spirit land on Mars?

• Hellas Basin

• Valles Marineris

• Olympus Mons

• Gusev Crater

What was significant about the first images Spirit sent back from Mars?

• They were in 3D

• They showed evidence of life

• They were the highest resolution color images taken on another planet

• They were the first images from Mars

What was the initial problem that Spirit faced after landing?

• A power shortage

• A mechanical failure

• A software issue causing a reboot loop

• A communication blackout

How did the team resolve the issue with Spirit's flash memory?

• By rebooting the system manually

• By replacing the hardware

• By deleting unnecessary files and reformatting

• By sending a new software update

What was the outcome after Spirit's communication issue was resolved?

• Spirit was sent back to Earth

• Spirit resumed its exploration of Mars

• Spirit's mission was declared a failure

• Spirit was unable to continue its mission