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May 12, 2009 01:04 PM | 3
The Mars rover Spirit has suffered through many hardships in its five years on the forbidding planet, outliving the scope of its original mission by more than 20 times in the process.
But now Spirit faces a new and tricky challenge—its wheels have partly sunk into a patch of soft soil. The rover's controllers have put a halt to driving operations while they try to figure out how to get it unstuck.
"Spirit is in a very difficult situation," John Callas, project manager for the rovers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement yesterday. "We are proceeding methodically and cautiously. It may be weeks before we try moving Spirit again." A JPL spokesperson said today that the rover's condition had not changed.
Since 2006 the buggy has been dragging a broken front wheel, and this year Spirit has suffered a few mysterious bouts of amnesia and erratic behavior. (Its twin rover, Opportunity, is aging somewhat better and soldiers on without a hitch.)
Even now, the rover remains powered and alert, and project scientists plan to use its onboard geological instruments to investigate the pesky soil. Researchers on the ground will also "attempt to replicate the rover's plight in what is known as the 'sandbox,' a lab at JPL where scientists try to simulate conditions on Mars," according to the Los Angeles Times.
Photo of Spirit's partially buried wheels on May 6: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Tags:
planetary science,
Mars Exploration Rovers,
Spirit and Opportunity,
MER
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3 Comments
Add CommentDid Spirit think to bring along some rope, or, considering it's mental condition, does it remember if it did? A grappling hook/anchor might come in handy, especially if it could be thrown.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen a backhoe gets stuck you can use the hoe attachment to move the entire machine, or just push it enough to get unstuck. Could the soil sampling unit be used in the same way?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen a backhoe gets stuck you can use the hoe to move the backhoe or just enough to get it unstuck. why not use the soil sampler in the same way.
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