maxon receives NASA award for "Mars Exploration Rover"

At a ceremony, which was held at the maxon motor AG headquarters in Sachseln, OW, Olga Ceritelli, JPL Procurement Quality Assurance Manager, emphasized  the excellent performance of the Obwalden based business during the Mars mission. maxon motor AG developed motors for the U.S. Mars vehicles "Spirit" and "Opportunity". "Both rovers strongly prove the high performance and quality of our motors: the rovers have already exceeded their expected life cycle by more than 16 months", said Jürgen Mayer, CEO and Board Chairman of maxon motor AG.

maxon micromotors are used, among other things, to ensure the mobility of the robot arms within the control zone as well as to operate the cameras. maxon electric motors are also used on each of the six wheels, where they provide the vehicle's propulsion.

They run and run.and keep running
The two identical rovers have been exploring designated parts of the red planet for water traces since the beginning of January 2004. Originally designed for a ninety day mission only, the rovers keep impressing engineers and scientists with their enduring life cycle: they are still active and keep continuously collecting precious scientific data. "Opportunity" has even set a new Mars record: on a single day, the rover covered a distance of 220 metres. Because of this success, NASA decided to extend its mission in April 2005 for another 18 months.

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Concise profile of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also called JPL, builds and controls satellites as well as space probes for NASA. It is one of the most prestigious space facilities in the world. JPL is part of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena (California). The laboratory has been supporting NASA's most successful space projects since 1958. To maintain contact with the probes, JPL pursues the Deep Space Network. Besides NASA, JPL also works for the Pentagon, the Department of Energy and other government bodies. In addition, it serves as a consultant for science fiction movie producers, films and series. JPL employs about 5,500 full-time personnel and normally engages each day another few thousand employees for its missions. In 2003, JPL's budged covered nearly $1.4 billion.
Further information at: www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

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