For over two years, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have been roaming the surface of Mars (on different sides of the planet), drilling into soil and rock, measuring the atmosphere, snapping photos, etc. The builder of the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) on the spacecraft is a small company named Honeybee Robotics. Its main offices are located a few blocks from the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. Following the attacks of 9/11/01, the company decided to pay respect to the deceased in an unusual way. With help from the Mayor's office, some tiny bits of mangled aluminium debris from the site were acquired. Engineers pounded and formed them into cable shielding parts, and installed before launch.
New York Times story about Honeybee Robotics
Honeybee Robotics-official website
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