14 DAY TRIAL // As most of you know, the rover Spirit has been stuck on the surface of Mars since May 6, when it drove straight into a patch of loose soil known as Troy. All efforts to free the robot resulted at the time in failure, so the scientists took to the lab, in an attempt to discover what the best course of action might be. Engineers determined that the optimum variant would be to make the rover go back on its old tracks. But the first commands to drive, which, as we reported earlier, were sent yesterday, hit a snag on the very first attempt, mission controllers say.
“The preliminary results from the first extrication drive for Spirit on Sol 2088 (Nov. 17, 2009) indicate the rover stopped less than 1 second after it began, sensing more vehicle lateral tilt than permitted,” a message on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory website announces. Scientists at the NASA-operated California Institute of Technology (Caltech) laboratory are in charge with handling both Spirit and its twin, Opportunity. Both rovers are a part of the MER mission, which was originally scheduled to last for no more than three months, but went on for more than five years.
“A tight limit on vehicle roll and pitch of less than 1 degree change was set for this first drive. As the rover began its first move, it sensed that its roll was outside the allowed limit and safely stopped the drive,” the announcement continues. Even though these triggers may stop the rover frequently, experts at the JPL say that they intentionally set such tight limits in place, in order to gather the largest possible amount of data on the health and condition of the exploration robot. The team argues that, as soon as things begin to work well, the limits will be relaxed for a bit, Space reports.
“From this limited drive the team now has a more accurate measurement of vehicle roll and pitch that will be used for subsequent drive planning. Analysis is continuing. Completion of planning for the next drive will be no sooner than Wednesday, Nov. 18. The attempt to extract Spirit from the Martian sand trap is expected to take weeks or months, with uncertain probability of success,” the release also mentions. The MER Project Manager, JPL expert John Callas, has said recently that the chances of Spirit being extracted are not all that good, and that any outcome is possible.