Explanation:
Will Spirit be able to free itself from soft ground on Mars?
The
robotic Spirit rover
currently rolling across
Mars ran into unexpectedly soft ground last month while exploring the red planet.
A worry is that the ground is so soft that Spirit won't be able to free itself, will have to stay put and thereafter study what it can from its current position near an unusual martian land feature named
Home Plate.
Pictured above, the front left wheel appears to be primarily digging itself in when
spun,
while on the other side, the front right wheel no longer
spins and is dragged by the five year old
mechanical explorer.
In the distance, rocks and rusty dirt fill the
alien landscape in front of the distant
Husband Hill.
NASA continues to study
the situation, and engineers and scientists have not yet run out of ideas of how to use Spirit's six wheels.
Far across Mars, Spirit's twin
Opportunity continues on its two year
trek toward
Endeavour crater.
Free Lecture:
An APOD editor will review great space images this Friday in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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