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NASA works on Spirit's extraction
Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) Jul 7, 2009 The U.S. space agency says it's using a test rover placed in a sandbox to simulate how best to get the rover, Spirit, extracted from loose Martian soil. Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said they are using a special soil that simulates Spirit's predicament on Mars to assess possible maneuvers for getting Spirit onto firmer ground. They began Monday with the simplest maneuver on their list of options: driving forward with all five operable wheels. The engineers said the wheels turned enough to cover tens of yards, if there had been no slippage but the test rover moved slightly forward and then sideways down slope. NASA said weeks of further testing and analysis are expected before engineers identify the best moves to command Spirit to make. The rover became stuck in April in an area scientists dubbed "Troy." While awaiting extraction instructions, the rover is examining Troy's soil, NASA said. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
Spirit Continues To Study TroyPasadena CA (SPX) Jun 29, 2009 Spirit is continuing her ambitious remote sensing and in-situ (contact) science observations at the location called "Troy" on the west side of Home Plate. Using the rover robotic arm (instrument deployment device, IDD), the rover has been exploring a set of surface targets that hold clues to the past geologic history at this location. On Sol 1941 (June 18, 2009), a Microscopic ... read more |
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