What was the definitive proof sought by Spirit and Opportunity upon arrival in January 2004?

Answer

Liquid water once flowed on Mars.

The central, unambiguous directive given to both the Spirit and Opportunity robotic geologists when they landed on Mars in January 2004 was to locate conclusive evidence demonstrating that liquid water was once present and active on the Martian surface. This fundamental goal required them to conduct intensive geological surveys in their respective landing zones to determine if the environmental conditions necessary to support life, as understood on Earth, had ever existed there. Finding definitive proof of past aqueous history was the prerequisite for validating the entire multi-billion dollar Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission, superseding secondary objectives until this primary hypothesis was substantiated.

Related Questions

What was the definitive proof sought by Spirit and Opportunity upon arrival in January 2004?Which Martian feature was Spirit tasked to examine by driving toward the rim of Bonneville Crater?What specific surface feature at Meridiani Planum prompted Opportunity's initial high-value inspection?For what duration was the official primary mission set for both Spirit and Opportunity in Martian sols?Which fundamental task relied on the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument?What specific water-related minerals was the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) instructed to look for?What was the core physical routine sequence defined for Spirit when analyzing a rock sample?What implied *type* of water environment was Spirit seeking, contrasted with Opportunity's focus?What role did the thorough initial success of the rovers upgrade them to, moving beyond proof-of-concept explorers?What mineral, typically forming in water on Earth, was indicated by spectral data at Opportunity's landing site?

Mars NASA Rover space exploration mission