Received: Fri Feb 13 22:33:12 AST 2004


MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=dw2mD1mBQGRO-3BCLCXxIg..
 http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=v4dHL779GH1O-3BCLCXxIg..

Guy Webster    818/354-5011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Donald Savage (202) 358-1547
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                     

Jocelyne Landeau-Constantin   49 6151 90 26 96
ESA/EASOC Communication Office

NEWS RELEASE: 2004-061      February 13, 2004

International Interplanetary Networking Succeeds

A pioneering demonstration of communications between NASA's Mars
Exploration Rover Spirit and the European Space Agency Mars Express
orbiter succeeded.

On February 6, while Mars Express was flying over the area Spirit was
examining, the orbiter transferred commands from Earth to the rover
and relayed data from the robotic explorer back to Earth.

"This is the first time we have had an in-orbit communication between
European Space Agency and NASA spacecraft, and also the first working
international communications network around another planet," said
Rudolf Schmidt, the European Space Agency's project manager for Mars
Express. "Both are significant achievements, two more 'firsts' for
Mars Express and the Mars Exploration Rovers."

Jennifer Trosper, Spirit mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., said, "We have an international
interplanetary communications network established at Mars."

The European Space Agency and NASA planned this demonstration as part
of continuing efforts to cooperate in space and to enable plans to use
joint communications assets to support future missions to the surface
of Mars.

The commands for the rover were transferred from Spirit's operations
team at JPL to the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt,
Germany, where they were translated into commands for Mars Express.

The translated commands were transmitted to Mars Express, which used
them to successfully command Spirit. Spirit used its ultra-high
frequency antenna to transmit telemetry information to Mars Express.
The orbiter relayed the data back to JPL, via
the European Space Operations Centre.

"This is excellent news," said JPL's Richard Horttor, project manager
for NASA's role in Mars Express. "The communication sessions between
Mars Express and Spirit were pristine. Not a single bit of data was
missing or added, and there were no duplications."

This exercise demonstrated the increased flexibility and capabilities
of interagency cooperation and highlighted the spirit of close support
essential in undertaking international space exploration.

Spirit and its twin Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, frequently
use two NASA orbiters, Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor, for
relaying communications. The rovers also can communicate directly with
the Earth-based antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network in California,
Spain and Australia, another layer of international cooperation.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena,
manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project and NASA participation in
Mars Express for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

For information about NASA and Mars programs on the Internet,
visit:  http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=pk-x430d_IxO-3BCLCXxIg..  .
 http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=Z4jTMFa-AgBO-3BCLCXxIg..

For images and information about the Mars Exploration Rover
project on the Internet, visit: http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=FMtT49xvwghO-3BCLCXxIg.. and 
http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=u7iTnrwU4oFO-3BCLCXxIg.. .
 http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=edcq19XkeSJO-3BCLCXxIg..
 http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=57l5GNrjylVO-3BCLCXxIg..

For images and information about Mars Express on the Internet,
visit:  http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=JjFrUAs6fmpO-3BCLCXxIg.. and 
http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=sZJe8EGnsTtO-3BCLCXxIg..

-end-


To unsubscribe from all future e-mail, paste the following URL into your browser:
http://jpl.convio.net/site/CO?i=pQySCPDiOVxI18evr0Dc7Y8uFizeWeKm