Spirit Encounters Soft Ground on Mars
Explanation:
Will Spirit be able to free itself from soft ground on Mars?
The
robotic Spirit rover
currently rolling across
Mars ran into unexpectedly soft ground last month while
exploring the red planet.
A worry is that the
ground
is so soft that Spirit won't be able to free itself, will have to stay put and
thereafter study what it can from its current position near an unusual martian land
feature named
Home Plate.
Pictured above, the front left wheel appears to be primarily digging itself
in when
spun,
while on the other side, the front right wheel no longer
spins and is dragged by the five year old
mechanical explorer.
In the distance, rocks and rusty dirt fill the
alien landscape in front of the distant
Husband Hill.
NASA continues to study
the situation, and engineers and scientists have not yet run out of ideas of
how to use Spirit's six wheels.
Far across Mars, Spirit's twin
Opportunity continues on its two year
trek toward
Endeavour crater.
Free Lecture:
An APOD editor will review great space images this Friday in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
