Mars Rover Spirit is now a stationary explorer

William Atkins
Wednesday, 27 January 2010 00:37

Science - Space

NASA announced on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, that its Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will not be considered a fully mobile rover after numerous attempts to remove it from its stuck position failed.



According to the 1.26.2010 NASA media release, Now a Stationary Research Platform, NASA’s Mars Rover Spirit Starts a New Chapter in Red Planet Scientific Studies, “After six years of unprecedented exploration of the Red Planet, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit no longer will be a fully mobile robot.”

NASA has changed the status of Spirit from a “roving” scientific explorer to a “stationary” science platform.

Doug McCuistion, who is the director of the NASA MER program, stated, "Spirit is not dead; it has just entered another phase of its long life. We told the world last year that attempts to set the beloved robot free may not be successful. It looks like Spirit's current location on Mars will be its final resting place."

The inability for Spirit to move is the result of being trapped in sandy soil for the past ten Earth-months.

While traveling south around a western edge of a low plateau called “Home Plate,” its six wheels broke through a crusty portion of the Martian surface. It dropped into the soft sand beneath the crust.

Ground controllers tried repeatedly to free Spirit from its predicament but they have been unsuccessful.

To see images of these efforts, please go to the NASA website “Press Release Images: Spirit.”

Page two continues with what ground controllers will do over the next few weeks to give Spirit the best chance of surviving the Martian winter.