(CNN) -- Weighing just 22 pounds and compacted inside the Mars Pathfinder landing craft, the rover Sojourner puffed itself up to its full diminutive size (25 inches long, 19 inches wide and 10 inches high) and crawled out onto the surface of Mars shortly after the craft landed.
Because the rover received instructions beamed over from Earth via the landing craft, its speed was less than two feet (0.6 meters) per minute. For the first week, it only traveled about 30 feet (10 meters) from the lander.
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Sojourner was designed to go for a week but hopes are that it will last longer
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But what Sojourner lacked in speed, it made up for in agility. Though it had only five inches of ground clearance, the rover was designed to climb up and over the obstacles it encountered in the rocky Martian valley where Pathfinder landed.
Equipped with six wheels that could move independently, Sojourner could crawl straight up somebody's leg. It could lean up to 60 degrees to either side without tipping over. Its wheels were able to dig down into the surface of the planet to gather information about the Martian soil.
Though both the rover and the lander had batteries on board, they relied heavily on solar energy to power the mission. That meant most of their activity took place during the Martian day.
Sojourner was designed to roam for a week, but NASA scientists were delighted that it lasted 12 times longer than that.
