News Spirit Mars rover 'stuck for good'

[Bj]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8481798.stm

The US space agency (Nasa) has conceded defeat in its battle to free the Spirit rover from its Martian sand trap.The vehicle became stuck in soft soil back in May last year and all the efforts to extricate it have failed.
Nasa says Spirit, which landed on the Red Planet just over six years ago, will now live out its remaining days as a static science station.
The robot geologist has taken thousands of images and found evidence in Mars' rocks of a wetter, warmer past.
"Spirit has encountered a golfer's worst nightmare - the sand trap that no matter how many strokes you take, you can't get out of it," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars exploration programme at Nasa headquarters in Washington DC.

bummer

 

[JamesG]

Bummer is right. At least its still functional and can keep reporting data. There is something to be said for having something that can sit at one spot and watch for any seasonal processes.

 

[zerofay32]

I was hopping the rover would go down in a blaze of glory... shame. Hopefully it finds something more about mars after being bogged down.

 

[Andy44]

A blaze of glory? Not for something that only goes like 1 mile per hour. Not unless the old legends about Mars are true...in which case a blaze of glory is certain!

 

[tblaxland]

Bummer is right. At least its still functional and can keep reporting data. There is something to be said for having something that can sit at one spot and watch for any seasonal processes.

And not just seasonal processes. The astronometric data from observing a fixed transponder will be gold for studying the properties of Mars' rotation. Spaceflightnow has a very good article, including info on what the rover will be capable of while stationary, assuming they can get it through the winter: http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1001/24spirit/

 

[jinglesassy]

aw man hate to see the rover go but the mission is a major success still

 

[Bj]

a blaze of glory...

What exactly did you think it could do? If something failed on the rover, it just wouldnot respond to requests IE no communications. Or did you expect to see a little martian run up to the cam then whack it with a rock?

 

[TSPenguin]

I still have hope for it.
We have relied on storms to clear the solar panels, now we just might hope one could free it somehow. Very unlikely, yet, why not?

 

[tl8]

It has had a good run, how many machines do you know that last 2400% of their expected life span

 

[Bj]

It looks like they have been trying for a while to get it out...

And what are those little circles in the dirt between the cam and wheel? (right of cam)

It looks like they might have used the cam to try to lift it out or something.

it still looks like Opportunity has clear hard dirt ahead too.

Oh wait, it is going in reverse isn't it?

This is the ahead view

 

[John_L]

It has had a good run, how many machines do you know that last 2400% of their expected life span

Exactly... It's like buying a 100,000 mile car that lasts you 2.4 million miles, or expecting a 10 year life span, but getting 240 years instead. On top of that, she's down, but not out. They'll still be able to glean scientific data from her for a while, and considering what was paid for it, I think we can safely say that we got our money's worth. My hat's off to Spirit

 

[Sky Captain]

Those are some sad news, I was still hoping the Spirit will get out of sand. Anyway I volunteer to go to Mars and push the Spirit out of it`s sand trap.

 

[TJohns]

Yeah, I thought they might have tried using the robotic arm to lift it out of the sand in some way - or have they?

 

[Ark]

Ugh, it's frustrating to know that it would take five minutes for somebody to walk up to it, pull it out of the hole, and go on about their business. But we'd have to make rovers obsolete to be able to do that.

 

[JamesG]

Well if you are going to go all the way there to unstick it, you might as well change those stuck wheels, wipe off the solar panels, and check the oil.

Yeah, I thought they might have tried using the robotic arm to lift it out of the sand in some way - or have they?

I think that is just "churn" from that lower left wheel. Probably didn't want to risk over stressing the arm. If they break that, then Spirit really does become just a webcam on Mars.

 

[80mileshigh]

Awww... (from http://xkcd.com/695/)

 

[willy88]

Awww... (from http://xkcd.com/695/)

 

[Ark]

I don't even want to think about Voyager now...

"Hello? Still at escape velocity here!"

 

[SiberianTiger]

Awww... (from http://xkcd.com/695/)

Perhaps, some 'guys' will come, eventually. But they will have to bring a metal detector and a shovel...

 

[JamesG]

Probably not. Geological forces are really slow on Mars.

If its within the next couple of decades they might get fixed up and sent back out. But most likely they will wind up in museums (either on Mars or Earth). Hopefully not cannibalized to keep a human colony or marooned astronauts alive.