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Pathfinder Web Surfers Ask: Where Are the Updates?
A great deal of attention was given to reports that the official Mars Pathfinder Web site at JPL, and its network of mirror sites around the world, had collected literally hundreds of millions of hits on and in the days following the Mars Pathfinder landing. Many Web surfers, though, found that quantity did not equate with quality.
A NASA press release on July 9 reported that the official Pathfinder Web sites had garnered 265 million hits between the 4th and the 9th. Earlier reports said 100 million hits were logged on July 4 alone, as Web surfers looked for the latest information on the landing.
Judging by discussion on several Usenet newsgroups in the week following the landing, many visitors to the official Web site were disappointed in the lack of updated information available online. Some complained that online news sources like CNN and MSNBC were providing more updated information than the official site, which would go up to a day between updates.
While JPL was apparently unable to update their Web site more than a few times a day, and often as little as once a day, in the week following the landing, other sites stepped in to fill the gap. CNN (http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9706/pathfinder/), MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.com/news/mars_front.asp), and ABCNews.Com (http://www.abcnews.com/sections/scitech/marsorbust/mars_index.html) all provided special Mars sections and frequent updates, often adding new Pathfinder images faster than the official site. A bevy of other news sites from newspapers, magazines, and other sources also provided updated information.
The official site and its mirrors, though, did a good job handing the immense traffic directed at them, as few people reported consistent problems accessing the information online.