Astronomy
Spirit, one of the Mars Exploration Rovers, is in a very rocky situation. Since April 2009, the rover has been embedded in a patch of rocky Martian soil. The dark and crusty ground, captured in the picture above by Spirit before its current predicament, broke through under the rover's wheels to reveal loose sandy soil, which trapped the wheels. Furthermore, when Spirit photographed its undercarriage (image at right) with its robotic arm, it revealed a rock potentially touching the robot.
Since then, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), who manage the rovers, have been working to extract the rover from the sandy trap they now call "Troy." They are using a sandbox (image at left), filling it with a mixture they have created that may help replicate the conditions Spirit is facing on Mars. Since then, they have placed test rovers in the sandbox to attempt some movements that could help Spirit get free. I personally was able to see the engineers working with one of the test rovers in the sand box during my trip to JPL this July, as part of the Summer Science Program. The engineers have sent a number of maneuvers for the rover, but none of them so far has been able to lead to a significant improvement.
Unfortunately, the team working on the rover is running out of possible maneuvers they can attempt, and many now believe that Spirit may be permanently stuck in its current location. Fortunately, there are many interesting targets to study where Spirit has been stuck. But the Martian winter is soon coming, and the Sun is reaching lower in the Martian sky. If stuck in its current location, Spirit will have to position itself to get the optimal amount of sunshine on its solar panels, which will power the heating necessary for the onboard equipment to survive the cold Martian winter.
Despite its unsure future, Spirit has still lasted longer than anyone could have hoped. It arrived on Mars in January 2004, and has far surpassed its 3 month predicted life span on Mars. If you want to keep updated about the latest developments in freeing Spirit, you can visit the JPL's blog about the effort, Free Spirit.
Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Astronomy
Spirit's Rocky Situation
Spirit, one of the Mars Exploration Rovers, is in a very rocky situation. Since April 2009, the rover has been embedded in a patch of rocky Martian soil. The dark and crusty ground, captured in the picture above by Spirit before its current predicament, broke through under the rover's wheels to reveal loose sandy soil, which trapped the wheels. Furthermore, when Spirit photographed its undercarriage (image at right) with its robotic arm, it revealed a rock potentially touching the robot.Since then, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), who manage the rovers, have been working to extract the rover from the sandy trap they now call "Troy." They are using a sandbox (image at left), filling it with a mixture they have created that may help replicate the conditions Spirit is facing on Mars. Since then, they have placed test rovers in the sandbox to attempt some movements that could help Spirit get free. I personally was able to see the engineers working with one of the test rovers in the sand box during my trip to JPL this July, as part of the Summer Science Program. The engineers have sent a number of maneuvers for the rover, but none of them so far has been able to lead to a significant improvement.Unfortunately, the team working on the rover is running out of possible maneuvers they can attempt, and many now believe that Spirit may be permanently stuck in its current location. Fortunately, there are many interesting targets to study where Spirit has been stuck. But the Martian winter is soon coming, and the Sun is reaching lower in the Martian sky. If stuck in its current location, Spirit will have to position itself to get the optimal amount of sunshine on its solar panels, which will power the heating necessary for the onboard equipment to survive the cold Martian winter.
Despite its unsure future, Spirit has still lasted longer than anyone could have hoped. It arrived on Mars in January 2004, and has far surpassed its 3 month predicted life span on Mars. If you want to keep updated about the latest developments in freeing Spirit, you can visit the JPL's blog about the effort, Free Spirit.
Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech
- Spirit Rover Finally Moves In Martian Soil
Spirit Rover which was stuck in Martian soil since April, 2009 has finally showed some movements from its current position. The Spirit Rover team is trying to get her out from the sand trap in which she has got stuck. Enjoy the animations of recent movement...
- Spirit Struggles With Soft Soil
NASA?s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is facing one of its biggest challenges yet with a patch of soft soil that is currently holding the rover hostage. During recent attempts to drive around the Home Plate area of Mars, Spirit?s wheels have sunk about...
- Spirit Rover Resumes Driving On The Red Planet
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit drove on Thursday for the first time since April 8, acting on commands from engineers who are still investigating bouts of amnesia and other unusual behavior exhibited by Spirit in the past...
- 2010 Going Into 2011
Looking back, I have to say 2010 was a great year both for my blog and myself. I covered many interesting topics on my blog, including quite a few about exoplanets. Among other things this year, the Hubble celebrated its 20th birthday, the rover Spirit...
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A huge dust storm on Mars, covering the southern hemisphere of Mars almost completely, has put the future of the Mars Exploration Rovers Mission in danger. A smaller dust storm has also appeared elsewhere on Mars, adding further danger. The largest dust...