Planetary Science

Spirit

335 tracked publications and 16,607 citations from 2004–2026. Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit. Launched 2003. Life-cycle cost: $756M in 2025 dollars. Active Mission Window February 1, 2004 to June 1, 2013: 235 publications, 23 top-10% credit.

Rover · h-index 73 · 48 papers with 100+ citations · prime mission ended 2004

Lifetime

Scope Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the prime mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Every tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Key measures

Active Mission Window · papers February 1, 2004 to June 1, 2013
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed research papers we found for the mission. The list may not be complete. Methods235
CitationsCitations received by the tracked publications in the selected scope. The two windowed scopes count each paper’s citations only within its citation window. Methods3,866
Mean citations per publicationMean citations: total citations divided by tracked publications in the selected scope. One blockbuster paper can lift it. Methods16
Median citations per publicationMedian citations: the middle paper’s citation count in the selected scope; half the papers have more, half fewer. A single blockbuster sways it less than the mean. Methods9
Uncited publicationsUncited publications: papers with no citations in the selected scope. Methods26 (11%)
Top-10% creditTop 10%: among the 10% most-cited papers from this division’s missions, ranked against papers published around the same time. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods23 · 2.1% of division
Top-1% creditTop 1%: among the 1% most-cited papers from this division’s missions within the selected window. Not adjusted for publication year. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods4.5 · 4.1% of division
Lifetime indices · every tracked publication to date, in any scope
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods73
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods115
m-index, as of October 4, 2026m-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes, so it belongs to the date shown; it also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods3.2
toritori (total research impact, from ADS): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Methods71
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Methods351

Tracked publications

  1. Eight-year climatology of dust optical depth on Mars

    Montabone, L., 2015, Icar

    422 citations

  2. Detection of Silica-Rich Deposits on Mars

    Squyres, S. W., 2008, Sci

    373 citations

  3. An integrated view of the chemistry and mineralogy of martian soils

    Yen, Albert S., 2005, Natur

    349 citations

  4. Identification of Carbonate-Rich Outcrops on Mars by the Spirit Rover

    Morris, Richard V., 2010, Sci

    335 citations

  5. Chemistry of Rocks and Soils in Gusev Crater from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer

    Gellert, R., 2004, Sci

    300 citations

  6. The Spirit Rover's Athena Science Investigation at Gusev Crater, Mars

    Squyres, S. W., 2004, Sci

    279 citations

  7. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS): Results from Gusev crater and calibration report

    Gellert, R., 2006, JGRE

    276 citations

  8. Mössbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Gusev crater, Mars: Spirit's journey through weakly altered olivine basalt on the plains and pervasively altered basalt in the Columbia Hills

    Morris, R. V., 2006, JGRE

    259 citations

  9. Mineralogy at Gusev Crater from the Mössbauer Spectrometer on the Spirit Rover

    Morris, R. V., 2004, Sci

    245 citations

  10. Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mars: Characterization and Analysis of the Rocknest Sand Shadow

    Blake, D. F., 2013, Sci

    242 citations

  11. Basaltic Rocks Analyzed by the Spirit Rover in Gusev Crater

    McSween, H. Y., 2004, Sci

    240 citations

  12. Mössbauer Spectroscopy of Earth and Planetary Materials

    Dyar, M. Darby, 2006, AREPS

    223 citations

  13. Wind-driven particle mobility on Mars: Insights from Mars Exploration Rover observations at ``El Dorado'' and surroundings at Gusev Crater

    Sullivan, R., 2008, JGRE

    223 citations

  14. Water alteration of rocks and soils on Mars at the Spirit rover site in Gusev crater

    Haskin, Larry A., 2005, Natur

    220 citations

  15. Atmospheric Imaging Results from the Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity

    Lemmon, M. T., 2004, Sci

    210 citations

  16. Wavelength dependence of dust aerosol single scattering albedo as observed by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer

    Wolff, M. J., 2009, JGRE

    205 citations

  17. Erosion rates at the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites and long-term climate change on Mars

    Golombek, M. P., 2006, JGRE

    203 citations

  18. Mössbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Meridiani Planum, Mars: Opportunity's journey across sulfate-rich outcrop, basaltic sand and dust, and hematite lag deposits

    Morris, R. V., 2006, JGRE

    198 citations

  19. Characterization and petrologic interpretation of olivine-rich basalts at Gusev Crater, Mars

    McSween, H. Y., 2006, JGRE

    190 citations

  20. Fe ²⁺-Mg partitioning between olivine and basaltic melts: Applications to genesis of olivine-phyric shergottites and conditions of melting in the Martian interior

    Filiberto, Justin, 2011, E&PSL

    163 citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Astrophysics Data System (ADS) for peer-reviewed articles naming Spirit in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces. SciX is ADS’s current interface.

(((=abs:"Mars Exploration Rover" OR =abs:"Mars Exploration Rovers" OR =abs:"Spirit rover" OR =abs:"Opportunity rover" OR (abs:Spirit AND (abs:"MER-A" OR =abs:"Mars Rover" OR =abs:"Mars Rovers" OR =abs:"Mars roving" OR abs:Gusev)) OR (abs:Opportunity AND (abs:"MER-B" OR =abs:"Mars Rover" OR =abs:"Mars Rovers" OR =abs:"Mars roving" OR =abs:"Meridiani Planum")) OR (((abs:Pancam AND NOT abs:ExoMars) OR =abs:"Mini-TES" OR =abs:"Microscopic Imager" OR =abs:"Rock Abrasion Tool") AND (abs:Gusev OR =abs:Meridiani OR =abs:"Columbia Hills" OR =abs:"Home Plate" OR =abs:"Victoria crater" OR =abs:"Endeavour crater" OR =abs:"Endurance crater"))) AND (((abs:Spirit AND NOT =abs:"Spirit of St. Louis") OR abs:"MER-A" OR abs:Gusev OR =abs:"Columbia Hills" OR =abs:"Husband Hill" OR =abs:"Home Plate" OR abs:Wishstone OR =abs:"Columbia Memorial Station") OR (=abs:"Mars Exploration Rovers" AND NOT (=abs:"Opportunity rover" OR =abs:"Opportunity rovers" OR =abs:"rover Opportunity" OR =abs:"rovers Opportunity" OR =abs:"Spirit and Opportunity" OR =abs:"Opportunity and Spirit" OR =abs:"MER Opportunity" OR =abs:"Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover" OR =abs:"Opportunity Mars Exploration Rovers" OR =abs:"Opportunity Mars rover" OR =abs:"Opportunity MER" OR =abs:"Opportunity tracking" OR abs:"MER-B" OR =abs:"Opportunity site" OR =abs:"Opportunity landing" OR =abs:"Opportunity mission" OR =abs:"Opportunity missions" OR =abs:"Opportunity traverse" OR =abs:"Opportunity data" OR =abs:"Opportunity Mini-TES" OR =abs:"Opportunity Mössbauer" OR =abs:Meridiani OR =abs:"Burns formation" OR =abs:"Endeavour crater" OR =abs:"Eagle crater" OR =abs:"Endurance crater" OR =abs:"Victoria crater" OR =abs:"hematite spherules" OR =abs:"Marathon Valley" OR =abs:"Perseverance Valley" OR =abs:"Erebus crater" OR =abs:"Bounce Rock" OR =abs:"Cape York"))))) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[2004-02 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "AIASJ" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NewSc" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (8)

  1. Magnetic and optical properties of airborne dust and settling rates of dust at the Phoenix landing site Duplicate record of 2010JGRE..115.0E23D (same paper). Decision 🤖
  2. 2010JGRE..115.0F01A Editorial introduction to a journal special section; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  3. Introduction to special section on Results from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit and Opportunity Missions Editorial introduction to a journal special section; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  4. 2020Sci...370..755V Science news story; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  5. Magnetic properties experiments and the Surface Stereo Imager calibration target onboard the Mars Phoenix 2007 Lander: Design, calibration, and science goals Describes Phoenix lander magnet experiments; mentions the rovers only as design heritage. Decision 🤖
  6. Mars Science Laboratory Mission and Science Investigation Overview of the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) mission; Spirit is mentioned only in passing. Decision 🤖
  7. Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) Investigation Instrument description of the Curiosity rover's MAHLI camera; a different mission. Decision 🤖
  8. Radiometric Calibration Targets for the Mastcam-Z Camera on the Mars 2020 Rover Mission Instrument description of the Mars 2020 Mastcam-Z calibration targets; Spirit is mentioned only as design heritage. Decision 🤖