Toy of the week, Monday, July 13, 2009

"Cheaper, faster and better" was the motto of NASA's Discovery program which was started in 1994.  Unlike traditional NASA missions this program had strict caps on budget and timeline.  In 1997 the world watched as Pathfinder, the second in the cheaper, faster and better NASA missions, landed on an alien world.

The mission captivated the worlds attention, sparking a renewed interest in space exploration and an Internet phenomenon.  NASA reported, a record setting, 109 million hits on it's Pathfinder website in the first 24 hours after the landing.  17 hours later, that figure doubled, as earthlings viewed images that the robotic astronaut sent back home.

Pathfinder represented many firsts for space exploration.  It was the first time that airbags had been used to mediate the landing of a space craft, as the lander bounced down onto the Martian surface like a giant beach ball.  It was also the first time that automatic obstacle avoidance was used and it was the first of a series of missions to land a robotic rover on the surface of another planet.  

The rover, known as Sojourner, was essentially a six wheel drive, robotic geologist, equipped with tools capable of examining and analyzing the makeup of Martian minerals.  The public interest in Pathfinder and Sojourner was the catalyst for the release of many toys and products that would capitalize on the renewed interest in space travel.  Mattel was no exception, and in 1997 they immortalized the Sojourner rover in their legendary line of toys, Hot Wheels.

The JPL Sojourner Mars Rover, Hot Wheels Action pack featured the lander spacecraft, the Pathfinder base station and the Sojourner rover.  They also released a boxed version of Sojourner that was entirely plated in 24k gold.  This version is a bit more rare and was aimed at adult collectors.

This toy captures many of the mechanical features of the spacecraft and vehicles used in this historic NASA mission so wheel on over to the Vehicles gallery of the Cabinet of Curious Frivolities and take a peek at the the Hot Wheels Mars Sojourner Rover.

Full steam ahead.