Posted on 06/04/2005 8:49:17 PM PDT by FreedomCalls
PASADENA, Calif. - The Mars rover Opportunity has freed itself after nearly five weeks of being mired in a sandy dune, NASA confirmed Saturday.
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the mission, cheered when images beamed back to Earth Saturday morning showed the wheels of the robotic explorer were free, project manager Jim Erickson said.
Some engineers planned to celebrate with a barbecue. "I do plan on bringing a few bottles of champagne," Erickson said.
"We've got a working rover on Mars that cost $400 million to build and ... keep working," he added. "I'd like to wear it out rather than lose it."
A photograph taken by Opportunity and posted on JPL's Web site showed the long tracks of its wheels crossing a featureless dune on the Meridiani plains, in the southern hemisphere.
The six-wheeled robot slid in the fine dust and sand on April 26 during a planned 295-foot trip as it tried to cross a foot-high dune. Its wheels went more than hub deep into soil that Erickson said had the consistency of talcum powder or confectioner's sugar.
Engineers spent weeks with an Opportunity mockup figuring out what commands to give the robot to free it, but the maneuvers took time.
The rover inched forward less than a foot in a month, losing most of its traction every time it tried to roll.
"It's kind of like we were swimming through it," Erickson said.
On Saturday morning, though, data showed that Opportunity was free at last, having moved several feet across the dune.
It won't be going anywhere for a while, though. Erickson said engineers want to be sure the rover won't encounter any more patches that could trap it again. It will be Monday or Tuesday night before engineers feel comfortable enough to order a test drive, he said.
Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, have been exploring opposite sides of Mars since landing in January 2004. Both rovers have discovered what scientists said are signs that the dry planet once had water and perhaps a shallow, ancient sea. The robots continue to explore and have long outlasted their primary, three-month missions.
Thanks, Marvin!
So, the lack of distant tracks means that during the past five weeks the wind has blown away the old tracks?
Looks to me like they just waited until the snow had melted. ;-)
Yeah!! Glad to see this. Good work to the guys and gals over at JPL.
Look at how deep it was mired. wow.
It is looking more and more that we should take manned space activites away from NASA and just let them do what they do best: Robot exporation.
Just look at V'ger: Still scooting along nicely. actually about to leave our own Solar system. God Speed Voyagers! Even with that stupid record on your side. I hope we are not judged too harsly for that bit of dreck. But a little more shielding is aways a good thing. ;^)
Keep of the good work Spirit and Opportunity!
I've been following this mission from the beginning. Good news!
No, that's where they were stuck. They backed out of the tracks they were in, backing overtop of the tracks they made getting stuck. Here's the view out the other side showing the tracks where it came from.
Had a 4x4, but got stck anyway, right on the beach, about 10 mi south of Rodanth. Deflating the tires to 10 psi did the trick. :O)
Those sand traps on that Erebus Crater back nine are tough, especially when there's a strong cross-wind. With low gravity, best to stick to a 5-iron on the fairways.
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