NASA Loans Mars Rover Replica To Sacramento Museum
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A little bit of history is now staying at a Sacramento museum, giving space lovers an up close look at a Mars rover.
Sacramento's Discovery Museum Science & Space Center is unveiling a full-size NASA mock-up of the Mars rover Opportunity. It's on loan from NASA and is exactly the same in every detail to the active rover on the red planet.
"This particular rover was designed to look for mineralogical evidence that there was once water on the surface of Mars. It's also proving the rovers' ability to drive around and navigate on their own," said Challenger Learning Center Flight Director Bernta Bechler said.
Opportunity -- about the size of a golf cart -- landed on Mars more than nine years ago for a three-month mission. But -- even to its designers' surprise -- it's still running and sending back data.
