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student created summary: Roy V.
Spirit (MER)
The Spirit is a Mars exploration rover launched on June 10, 2003. “She” was sent on a 90 day mission and survived her purpose. The Spirit had recorded information that Mars had once been wetter than its current state. With this information, scientists gained significantly more knowledge on Mars and its winds. The Spirit had become rooted in soft soil at a place called Troy. Scientists tried to rescue her but failed, so they ended the mission on May 25, 2011. Basically, the Spirit was sent to Mars to retrieve information about Mars's atmosphere.
The Spirit was a robot because she had all 6 characteristics of one. First, the Spirit obviously had a body. The body was basically the whole rover. Next, since Mars was so far away, scientists and engineers couldn’t remotely control it. So, they had to put a brain in her to do its programs. So, the Spirit had a brain and a program to fulfill its purpose while still getting commands from Earth. The Spirit also had sensors like cameras and motion sensors to report information back to Earth but to also do things like avoid rocks or analyze them. The Spirit also had behavior because it not only did things, but worked a certain way. Lastly, the Spirit had actuators because it has a motor and wheels which allow it to move. So, the Spirit is a robot.
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