PTV - MER Spirit Rover Stuck on Mars - August 27, 2009

MER Rover Spirit is stuck in martian soil. Find out the up to date status of our little rover.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• stuck
• rover
• mer
• spirit
• mars
• exploration

[SallyEiffel65Luvr]

how is another rover gonna get Spirit Rover out of the soil without geting it's self stuck aswell. Maybe somehow using the rover robotic arm to pull Spirit out if that makes any sense, Ya Gotta brainstorm harder,why leave spirit stuck!!

[PlanetaryTV]

Unfortunately using Opportunity to help Spirit is nearly impossible. This would mean for Opportunity to cease all missions, travel 1/4 of the way around Mars, thats like trying to take a remote control car and trying to navigate it all the way from California to "Arizona with sending only a few commands every open period. The distance they have traveled in the past years is nearly 17 miles. It would take Opportunity 50 years to get to Spirit.

[PlanetaryTV]

What they are doing is testing traction using different soil types, soft, hard, gritty, etc and need to learn how the rovers middle wheels react. Once they know the right direction and movement of the wheels they will try the commands. They plan to start sending the commands to Spirit in september.

[punji73]

@SallyEiffel65Luvr send another rover only this one has a tow cable with a special grappling hook on it to latch onto it from a distance and pull it out

[PlanetaryTV]

@punji73 The issue is, as far as mission conditions, Spirit is dead in her tracks. It has been nearly a year since we last heard from Spirit. Most likely, she died from a "cold"

[SallyEiffel65Luvr]

Cool Good luck Spirit Rover

[pitts5839]

why can't you understand it? seems pretty damn clear to me....

[EZchairchillen]

Just listen to 2:30-3:00, so many stutters and repeats...

[silverfearn]

why couldnt the rover just have basic walking motion to get unstuck, idiots