How long did it take to build a rover like Spirit to be able to operate perfectly?
Howdy, Michael. Thanks for your great question! Spirit and Opportunity took about 12-18 months to build, which sounds like a long time. However, this mission was actually incredibly rushed by interplanetary standards! It was a sprint all the way, Michael! We had on-going testing with rovers somewhat similar to the MER rovers, but the true flight articles were built in record time. This process included a lot of testing, of course, to make sure they would operate properly on the Martian surface. Thanks for a great question! Expert: Todd Barber JPL Staff Propulsion Engineer Mars Exploration Rover Mission Jet Propulsion Laboratory Question: Dear Scientists: Our 5 year old would like to know: when Spirit landed, how high was the highest bounce, and how far did it go from the first touchdown point to where Spirit finally came to rest? Thanks for your help, his name is Devlin. Answer: Delvin, Spirit bounced as high as 4 story building on her first bounce. then there where more than 20 smalle
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