All six wheels on the surface!
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.
All six wheels on the surface!
Maybe it got a little push from....someone?
Thanks for the picture.
I'm glad it didn't turn into a lost Opportunity. :)
Wonderful!
This is no big deal. I had to do this last year on the Outer Banks. :O)
It was mired up to over its axles.
These girls need your help.
http://www.carstuckgirls.com/
From a good ol' Martian on a tractor?
LOL! Oh yes, they do!
If you were in the same place I was stuck on the Outer Banks, you didn't have 4 wheel drive, and you ignored the signs not to drive across certain dunes......
Did it knock first?
Caught in a sandtrap on Mars. Should have brought the wedge as well as the driver.
Good one!
AAA Platinum plan is getting better these days....
Ole....that's some good stuff!
I'm glad it didn't turn into a lost Opportunity. :)
It only comes once in a blue moon too.
Them are 2 tough little energizer buggies scooting around on the Red Planet.
Thanks for the post. Glad to see Opportunity back on the loose.
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