This past Sunday was the sixth anniversary of the NASA rover Spirit’s landing on Mars and the beginning of its adventures on the red planet. However, this anniversary is shaping up to be its last. As we’ve previously covered here at DISCOVER, Spirit has gotten itself into a jam.
A sand trap and balky wheels are challenges to Spirit’s mobility that could prevent NASA’s rover team from using a key survival strategy for the rover. The team may not be able to position the robot’s solar panels to tilt toward the sun to collect power for heat to survive the severe Martian winter [NASA]. The rover has been stuck in the Martian sand for nine months with only four of its six wheels functioning. Now, NASA says the rover may run out of power and shut down by May.
NASA is close to throwing in the towel on its attempts to extract Spirit from its rut, so the sandpit known as “Troy” may be Spirit’s final resting place. To conserve power, the rescue operation may come to a halt this month. Unless Sprit can angle its solar arrays to capture the maximum possible sunlight, it faces the prospect of freezing to death when winter arrives in five months, since it won’t be able to power the internal heaters which protect its electronics. NASA explains that the current tilt is “nearly five degrees toward the south”, which is “unfavorable because the winter sun crosses low in the northern sky” [Register].
Whether or not Spirit can break free of the sand trap, the rover has already exceeded expectations with its research on Mars’ environment–it was initially scheduled to perform only a 90-day mission. In fact, until it kicks the bucket, Spirit can keep gathering data while bogged down in the sand. NASA scientists believe they can use the rover to gather data about the interior of Mars, Martian weather, and any interesting deposits near the rover’s wheels.
Related Content:
80beats: Future Looks Grim for Stuck Mars Rover
80beats: Mars Rover Will Try Daring Escape From Sand Trap of Doom
80beats: Will This Mars Rover Ever Rove Again? Spirit Get Stuck in the Sand
80beats: Mars Rover Spirit Shows Signs of Age, Including Senior Moments
DISCOVER: Mars Rover Delves Into Crater
DISCOVER: Those Mars Rovers Keep Going and Going…
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
January 5th, 2010 at 3:24 am
piece of crap american eng….oh wait….
January 5th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Wow, never thought a robots death could be so…. Sad. The guys at NASA are probobly tearing up.
January 6th, 2010 at 3:03 am
Truly remarkable this little robot is and a tribute to all the good we can accomplish when we try. Little rover, your plight is not in vain.
Spirit, lives on.