QUESTION:
Can pathfinder withstand being hit by a meteorite?

ANSWER from Guy Beutelschies on May 6, 1997:
Our spacecraft can withstand getting hit by very small meteorites
(known as micro-meteorites) that are about as big as a grain of sand.
Meteorites larger than that aer extremely rare.

We have put special protection around sensitive areas.  This protection is
made of thin layers of aluminum that pulverize an incoming micro-metorite
before it can puncture fuel tanks or damage electronics.