Mars Exploration News  
No Wheel Stall In Diagnostic Drive

This view from the navigation camera near the top of the mast on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the tracks left by the rover as it drove southward and backward, dragging its inoperable right-front wheel, to the location where the rover broke through a crust in April 2009 and became embedded in soft sand. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (SPX) Nov 26, 2009
On Sol 2095 (Tuesday, Nov. 24), Spirit performed a set of diagnostic actions related to a stall of the right-rear wheel on the previous drive, three days earlier. The diagnostics showed a fully functioning wheel free of obstruction. The rover was commanded forward with 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) of wheel spin.

The rover moved 2.1 millimeters (0.08 inch) forward, 1.1 millimeters (0.04 inch) to the left, and 0.3 millimeters (0.01 inch) down.

The cumulative results from Sols 2088 to 2095 (Nov. 17 to 24) are 8.1 meters (27 feet) of commanded motion, 15.7 millimeters (0.6 inch) of forward progress, 9.9 millimeters (0.4 inch) of movement to the left, and 4.8 millimeters (0.2 inch) of sinkage.

The plan for a drive during the long holiday weekend is another two-step drive, with each step 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) of commanded wheel spin.

All wheels will be straight and run at the same speed. Results of this commanded drive will be analyzed Monday, Nov. 30.

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Third Spirit Extrication Drive Ends With Wheel Stall
Pasadena CA (SPX) Nov 24, 2009
Spirit experienced a wheel stall with the right-rear wheel during the second step of a two-step drive on Sol 2092 (Saturday, Nov. 21). This is not the same wheel that stalled on Sol 1899 (May 6), the left-middle wheel. On Sol 2092, the right-rear wheel did not experience a hard stall like what was seen on Sol 1899. Instead, it stalled because the wheel's progress fell behind the ... read more









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