One of Mars Rover's Wheels Stops Working

Breitbart (AP) ^ | 3/17/2006 | Staff

[Jeff Gordon]

It is out of warranty.

[r9etb]

LOL! Good one!

[RightWhale]

ESA publishes fascinating images. They come few and far between because they require extensive processing of SAR data.

[steve86]

JPL said engineers were considering whether the electrical motor's brushes _ contacts that deliver power to the rotating part of the motor _ have lost contact.

My first reaction was why didn't they use brushless motors but then a brushless setup with its microprocessor controller might not have lasted this long. I have to say the Rover design is an outstanding achievement and anyone who claimed they would last this long would have been called a lunatic.

[SJSAMPLE]

The "Valley Forge" was hella cool.
"Silent Running" was a very good sci-flick and even though it was very eco-[reachy, it never gets tiresome.

[shelterguy]

Good one. My first thought was that maybe they ran over the flag and it got jammed somehow. Sheila will be saddened.

[RightWhale]

why didn't they use brushless motors

Might have been something to do with power limitations.

[Erasmus]

Did you notice the ATV trail along the top of that outcrop?

[11Bush]

My understanding is that the robots were amputees in the robot suits. They walked on their hands. Right/wrong?

[NordP]

I do not know, but maybe "Google" would have an article or two on the subject.

[manwiththehands]

I'm so proud of these little robot guys and the engineers who built them. America ROCKS! ... and rolls along on the surface of Mars years longer than expected ...

[P-40]

Now Sheila Jackson may never see the American flag left on Mars by the Apollo astronauts.

hahaha! I've been trying to find a video of her asking that...but no luck so far. My guess is that I will not get any help if I wrote to her and asked if she has a copy.

[Right Wing Assault]

Someone needs to play with the colors to bring out the foreground.

Here's a quick shot at it. Sun gets a bit bright.

[Right Wing Assault]

It looks like someone built a house up on the hill. Nice view for some lucky Martian.

[Fatuncle]

Right.

[Nowhere Man]

It's a shame, but they did their job above and beyond the call of duty. Still though, it would be nice to call AAA for help. B-)

[fatima]

Thanks wjersey.

[Professional Engineer]

ROFLOL

[Cvengr]

This makes me very angry...

[zeugma]

Silent Running is one of my favorites. Not so much for the enviro-whacko storyline, but the FX was bloody awesome. When the pods were disconnecting, and you saw all the explosive bolts firing, it was damned believable especially for its time. Zeugma's wife doesn't care for it, but I've always liked it.