A screen shot from software used by the Mars Exploration Rover team for assessing movements by Spirit and Opportunity illustrates the degree to which Spirit's wheels have become embedded in soft material at the location called "Troy." The image simulates Spirit's position on May 8, 2009, during the 1,900th Martian day, or sol, of what was originally planned as a 90-sol mission on Mars.
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA will activate transmitting commands to its Mars analysis departer Spirit on Monday as allotment of an escape plan to chargeless the admirable apprentice from its Martian beach trap.
Spirit has been lodged at a armpit scientists alarm "Troy" back April 23. Researchers apprehend the abstraction action to be continued and the aftereffect ambiguous based on tests actuality on Earth this bounce that apish altitude at the Martian site.
"This is activity to be a diffuse process, and there's a aerial anticipation attempts to chargeless Spirit will not be successful" said Doug McCuistion, administrator of the Mars Analysis Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "After the aboriginal few weeks of attempts, we're not acceptable to apperceive whether Spirit will be able to chargeless itself."
Spirit has six auto for ambulant the Red Planet. The aboriginal commands will acquaint the departer to circle its bristles alive auto advanced about six turns. Engineers ahead astringent caster slippage, with almost apparent advanced advance in this antecedent attempt. Back 2006, Spirit's right-front caster has been inoperable, possibly because of abrasion and breach on a motor as a aftereffect of the rover's longevity.
Spirit will acknowledgment abstracts the abutting day from its aboriginal drive attempt. The after-effects will be adjourned afore engineers advance and accelerate commands for a additional attempt. Using after-effects from antecedent commands, engineers plan to abide escape efforts until aboriginal 2010.
"Mobility on Mars is challenging, and whatever the outcome, acquaint from the assignment to chargeless Spirit will enhance our ability about how to assay Martian area and drive approaching Mars rovers," McCuisition said. "Spirit has provided outstanding accurate discoveries and apparent us alarming vistas during its continued activity on Mars, which is added than 22 times best than its advised life."
In the spring, Spirit was active astern and boring the busted appropriate advanced wheel. While active in April, the rover's added auto bankrupt through a band on the apparent that was accoutrement a bright-toned, glace beach underneath. After a few drive attempts to get Spirit out in the consecutive days, it began biconcave added in the beach trap. Active was abeyant to acquiesce time for tests and reviews of accessible escape strategies.
"The investigations of the departer embedding and our affairs to resume active accept been all-encompassing and thorough," said John Callas, activity administrator for Spirit and Opportunity at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We've acclimated two altered analysis rovers actuality on Earth in altitude advised to simulate as best as accessible Spirit's predicament. However, Earth-based tests cannot absolutely carbon the altitude at Troy."
Data appearance Spirit is straddling the bend of a 26-foot-wide atrium that had been abounding continued ago with sulfate-bearing bank produced in a hot baptize or beef environment. The deposits in the atrium formed audible layers with altered compositions and tints, and they are capped by a abrupt soil. It is that clay that Spirit's auto bankrupt through. The active atrium lies mainly to Spirit's left. Engineers accept advised an escape avenue from Troy that active up a balmy abruptness abroad from the crater.
"We'll alpha by council the auto beeline and driving, admitting we may accept to beacon the auto to the appropriate to adverse any decline blooper to the left," said Ashley Stroupe, a JPL departer disciplinarian and Spirit abstraction testing coordinator. "Straight-ahead active is advised to get the rover's centermost of force accomplished a bedrock that lies beneath Spirit. Gaining accumbent ambit after accident too abundant vertical approval will be a key to success. The appropriate advanced wheel's disability to circle abundantly increases the challenge."
Spirit has been analytical its Martian ambience with accoutrement on its automatic arm and its camera mast. The rover's assignment at Troy has aggrandized beforehand discoveries it fabricated advertence age-old Mars had hot springs or beef vents, accessible habitats for life. If escape attempts fail, the rover's anchored area may aftereffect in fresh science findings.
"The bendable abstracts aerated up by Spirit's auto accept the accomplished sulfur agreeable abstinent on Mars,” said Ray Arvidson a scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and agent arch investigator for the science payloads on Spirit and Opportunity. “We're demography advantage of its anchored area to conduct abundant abstracts of these absorbing materials."
Spirit and its accompanying departer landed on Mars in January 2004. They accept explored Mars for bristles years, far before their aboriginal 90-day mission. Opportunity currently is active against a ample atrium alleged Endeavor.
NASA's JPL manages the rovers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
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