Mars Pathfinder was a robotic spacecraft that was launched on December 4, 1996. It landed on Mars on July 4, 1997, using a parachute and airbags to cushion the fall. Upon landing, Pathfinder unfolded its instruments and deployed a small mobile robot called Sojurner Rover. The lander was renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station after successful setup on the Martian surface.

Mars Pathfinder landed in an outflow channel littered with many different kinds of rocks. Cameras on the lander sent back over 16,500 images of the Martian surface, and cameras on the Sojurner Rover sent back another 500 more. In addition, Pathfinder completed more than 15 chemical analyses of the rocks and soil, and it studied the wind and weather of the planet.