Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
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MONTHLY ARCHIVES
Mars Rover: Stuck in the Mud
November 12, 2009 2:51 PM
Spirit, which landed in Gusev Crater on Mars in January 2004 and is still working, just isn't going forward or backward. Back in April its wheels broke through some crusty ground into thick, soft dust, and engineers back at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California haven't been able to get it out.
They've tried everything -- everything you can try from Earth. They've tried turning it, backing it up, turning one wheel at a time -- and no joy.
"This lonely spot on the edge of a crater may be where Spirit ends its adventure on Mars," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, in a "bittersweet" teleconference that just ended. "Spirit's facing the most challenging situation it's faced on Mars yet."
Controllers say they will send the rover new commands on Monday night to try to retrace its steps -- backing out through the sand seems easier than pushing forward and hoping to get better traction -- but the rover has gotten itself buried deeply enough that its bottom is impaled on some jumbled rock fragments.
"I'd like everyone to be hopeful, but I'd like everyone to be realistic," McCuistion said.
We've been updating a slide show of the rovers' exploits since they arrived on Mars five years ago; take a look HERE.
The map above shows Spirit (black outline), about the size of a golf cart, impaled on the rim of a small crater, about 25 feet across and eight inches deep. If you look at this index of past images from Spirit, you'll see controllers beginning to realize by May 1 that they were in trouble -- but they didn't think much of it at first since they'd gotten the rovers stuck and unstuck before. (Spirit's twin, Opportunity, continues to trundle along the surface on the opposite side of Mars, trying to reach a large crater before its luck runs out too.)
Much has been made of the rovers' longevity. NASA, perhaps trying to dampen expectations, originally said it expected the rovers to work for 90 "sols," or Martian days. Spirit just finished sol 2,083.
"Unfortunately, Spirit may have met its match in this one," said McCuistion.
(Top image: computer rendition of Spirit, its wheels buried in dust. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.)
November 12, 2009 in Current Affairs, Science, Space | Permalink | Share | User Comments (10)
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Can engineers somehow use Spirit's arm to dig out around the wheels, or move the rocks underneath that it's impaled on?
Posted by: Joe | Nov 12, 2009 5:11:03 PM
It looks like it's time to let the poor thing rest in peace. It has done a hundred times more than anyone expected. One of the most successful scientific missions ever. Thanks to Spirit and the amazing team who created it.
Posted by: jock59801 | Nov 12, 2009 5:57:45 PM
Thank god you’e here Joe. There’s no way the NASA engineers would have thought to try that.
Posted by: Blow | Nov 12, 2009 9:30:14 PM
Joe... Spirit's robotic arm was not made for digging dirt, and furthermore, it does not have the ability to reach all the way down at the rear, for the arm is in the front of the vehicle.
Well, Spirit made a very good run. Five years is a very long time, which meant it lasted well beyond its expectations. Very good run indeed. :)
Posted by: GWP | Nov 13, 2009 6:54:34 AM
Spirit and Opportunity continue to operate long after their predicted demise. It is a tribute to the engineering and technology for two robots to maneuver on a world 100 million miles away from Earth. It also shows that we can do quite a lot in unmanned missions. I often wonder where the long distant Voyager spacecraft are and what their eyes must be seeing or ears hearing. Maybe they are deaf, dumb and blind by now. Are aliens seeing these robotic wanderers? Are they playing the record of Earth sounds and music and probing the electronic gear? No doubt they are much more sophisticated and laugh at our primitive space vehicles. Or maybe they are seriously intrigued
Posted by: Bob | Nov 13, 2009 8:52:20 AM
Bob, we do still here from Voyager occasionally (at least one of them, maybe both). It has only recently left the far outskirts of the solar system (which turned out to be REALLY big), and it has been continuing to teach us valuable information in the 30 years sense it stopped taking pucture of planets.
We may have to wait a few thousand years before the aliens get back to us, though.
Posted by: jock59801 | Nov 13, 2009 10:37:26 AM
Hopefully Spirit will be able to continue to operate as a fixed Mars weather station for awhile longer? It was a great mission, congratulations to the team who conceived, built, launched, and operated this explorer. They have, no doubt, added greatly to man’s knowledge of Mars and our solar system - job well done folks. Thanks!
Posted by: Todd | Nov 13, 2009 12:58:40 PM
Doesn't the rover have a crane or shovel to "walk" itself out of the rut? That would be a serious design flaw, if not. It should even have legs for such situations.
Posted by: Daleri | Nov 14, 2009 7:04:22 PM
It looks like it is high centered on the edge of the crater - that would be the driver's fault.
Posted by: Daleri | Nov 14, 2009 7:06:53 PM
It seems like they could have made the rover to raise up some to get over difficult terrain. Hindsight is 20/20. There are so many things that could have been done to keep it from becoming useless. They should have a good idea of what the surrounding area looks like.
Posted by: Daleri | Nov 14, 2009 7:49:36 PM
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