QUESTION:
In all the news reports I have seen, nothing has been mentioned about how
the rover was held in place during landing, etc. The "petals opened" and
there it was, all ready to start exploring as soon as the airbags were
retracted and the ramps deployed. There must have been hold-down
devices that had to be released first. Any details?

ANSWER from Chris Salvo on August 20, 1997:
The rover was latched down and attached to the petal at strategic 
structural locations during all of the cruise and landing.  After 
landing, the primary devices that held it in place were released via a 
pyro firing (and explosive action where a bolt or wire or other such 
piece of structure is broken by controlled explosive force).
     
With the primary devices released, the rover was then able to move in 
such a way as to unlatch itself from the rest of them.
     
The rover folks would have more details on the design of the 
mechanisms.
     
Chris