Mars Rover Struggles to Escape Sand Dune

Yahoo (AP) ^ | Thu May 12, 8:35 AM ET | ALICIA CHANG

[The_Victor]

LOS ANGELES - The Mars rover Opportunity is facing its biggest challenge since it landed on the Red Planet last year: how to get out of a sand dune where it's been stuck for two weeks.

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Engineers spent this week simulating the Martian terrain at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena to try to figure out why the robot got bogged down and how to get it moving again. Engineers performed several tests driving a dummy rover over a man-made sand dune.

Scientists sent the first new driving directions to Opportunity on Wednesday, commanding it to start inching down from the dune in a series of "mini-drives."

The six-wheeled Opportunity had driven about 130 feet of a planned 295-foot trip when its wheels started to slip April 26. The rover, going backward at the time, eventually stopped moving — its wheels stuck hub deep in fine soil while trying to drive over a foot-high sand dune.

"Mars gives us surprises on a regular basis — some major, some minor," said project manager Jim Erickson. "This is something we consider a major one."

In the meantime, the rover has been taking pictures of its surroundings at the edge of an area known as the "etched terrain," where scientists believe they will uncover rocks exposed by the gentle erosion of wind.

Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, have been exploring opposite sides of Mars since landing in January 2004 and have uncovered geologic evidence of past water activity on the planet. Both rovers outlasted their primary, three-month missions long ago.

This is not the first time a rover has encountered a wheel problem. In June 2004, Spirit's right front wheel became balky. Spirit overcame the problem by driving in reverse, allowing it to drag the faulty wheel while driving itself with its five other wheels.

___

On the Net:

Mars Exploration Rovers: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov

[The_Victor]

CUSTOMER: Here's one.
CART-MASTER: Ninepence.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
CART-MASTER: What?
CUSTOMER: Nothing. Here's your ninepence.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
CART-MASTER: 'Ere. He says he's not dead!
CUSTOMER: Yes he is.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not!
CART-MASTER: He isn't?
CUSTOMER: Well, he will be soon. He's very ill.
DEAD PERSON: I'm getting better!
CUSTOMER: No you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment.
CART-MASTER: Oh, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.
DEAD PERSON: I don't want to go on the cart!
CUSTOMER: Oh, don't be such a baby.
CART-MASTER: I can't take him.
DEAD PERSON: I feel fine!
CUSTOMER: Well, do us a favor.
CART-MASTER: I can't.
CUSTOMER: Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
CART-MASTER: No, I've got to go to the Robinson's. They've lost nine today.
CUSTOMER: Well, when's your next round?
CART-MASTER: Thursday.
DEAD PERSON: I think I'll go for a walk.
CUSTOMER: You're not fooling anyone you know. Look, isn't there something you can do?
DEAD PERSON: [singing] I feel happy... I feel happy.
[whop]
CUSTOMER: Ah, thanks very much.
CART-MASTER: Not at all. See you on Thursday.
CUSTOMER: Right. All right.

[Search4Truth]

Houston, we have a problem.

[King Prout]

ping

[hattend]

Pasadena ;-)

[FreedomFarmer]

[Gondring]

If it were SpiritRover, I'd be wondering if she weren't just playing... http://www.livejournal.com/users/spiritrover

But I just checked out Opportunitygrrl's blog, and here's what she has to say about her current predicament:

Okay, so my driving isn't going so great lately. First I had a little wheel problem, and then I kinda got stuck. I'm sure that I can get out,so I am not panicking. Definitely not panicking. But until I can get some good advice from the guys on the ground, I'm kinda hanging out here. The scenery is getting a little boring, as if it wasn't boring enough already!! Anyone want to come by and give me a tow?

I just LOVE those gals! Amazing that it's been a year and a half, eh?

Mars Is War

[The_Victor]

Just don't get stuck in the first place.

[KevinDavis]

Hmm... If a human was on Mars and rover was stuck maybe the human would have maybe pushed the rover off the dune..

[Frank_Discussion]

Heh.

[finnman69]

They should have sent a HUMMER

[RightWhale]

The thing with four wheel drive is that you can get stuck so far from the road that nobody can get in to save your b*tt.

[Frank_Discussion]

Mars would qualify... ;)

[The_Victor]

The thing with four wheel drive is that you can get stuck so far from the road that nobody can get in to save your b*tt.

Like on Mars?

[The_Victor]

Get outta my head!

[ChefKeith]

Why do I have this mental image of Marvin Martian under the surface with a BIG MAGNET?

GRRRR- any "flog" sand trap remedies?

[weegee]

Use a wedge and try to chip it out.

[weegee]

Anywhere on Mars is a long way from the roads (I hope).

Can we get Sheila Jackson Lee to field this one?

[Semper Paratus]

First rule of getting trapped in a sand dune is not get trapped.

[Frank_Discussion]

Ooops... I'll have to tune down the Scanner... you weren't supposed to notice that...

;)

[Frank_Discussion]

Naw, the moonbat would get distracted looking for the flag we left there in 1969...