14 DAY TRIAL // After having recently tried all possible combinations of basic moves in an attempt to extract the test rover from its sandbox, researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, have recently decided to increase their efforts. In a press release, they announced that the robot would begin to perform longer-duration maneuvers, which would include all the basic ones already rehearsed. The goal is to understand which one of them has the most chances of taking Spirit out of Troy.
The Martian Exploration Rover (MER) component Spirit has been trapped in sand on the Red Planet since May 6th, just West of the Home Plate, a landscape object that it had investigated for a long time. While driving backwards and uphill, the exploration rover got trapped in a loose soil formation that the engineers back on Earth nicknamed Troy. The instrument is currently stuck up to its hubcaps in sand, and all attempts that have since been made to release it have failed.
Back at the JPL, engineers and scientists are now driving the test rover – which is built exactly as Spirit and Opportunity – in all possible manners. The new tests, which began on July 24th, will include both basic turning maneuvers and long-term drives. However, even if they succeed on Earth, if they are done improperly on Mars, they could spell destruction for Spirit. Its belly hovers just a few centimeters above what looks like a very sharp rock. If the robot touches it, it could remain permanently stuck, as it could lose grip with all of its five functioning wheels.
Before the new tests started, the engineers took the rover out of the sandbox last Friday, and loosened the composition of the upper segment of the simulated Troy. During previous drives, they noticed that the front wheel of the rover was not digging up as much dirt as Spirit did on Mars. Engineers applied more pressure on the upper segment, and it would appear that, now, the simulation is more accurate than ever before.
Meanwhile, on the Red Planet, Opportunity is going about its sols (Martian days) as usual, while Spirit has recently started its astronomy courses, pointing all its instruments at the skies. It observes stars and moons, and conducts surveys of extensive portions of the night sky. Thanks to gusts of wind, its solar panels are now clean, and it benefits from more energy than it did even while it could move. Occasionally, Spirit points its cameras at the ground, to snap some more pictures of Troy, in case they are needed.