Free Spirit: Plotting an Escape

NASA's long running Mars rover Spirit will begin critical drives for escaping a sand trap.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Red
• Planet
• Mars
• Exploration
• Rover
• MER
• Opportunity
• sand
• trap
• solar
• system
• search
• for
• water
• NASA
• JPL
• Jet
• Propulsion
• Laboratory
• robot
• space
• exploration

[bobodd5]

they didnt reverse enough obviously what really slow knopflowers do bendy right

[schumacher500]

i think the wheel 'tread' design is flawed.

should've put a much more aggressive pattern on the 'tires' - esp. knowing that sand is a real possibility on mars + the fact that they move so slow.

the larger mechanical grip would've been perfect for emergencies like this, and would've had no negative effect on smoother surfaces due to the slow speed the robots move at.

[fushigiotoko]

@pyrioni

Consider yourself 'fived' :)

[slack7639]

How would this be fixed on a future rover? Make it like a Transformer, where it can split in two, but they're attached by a tether. The free half pulls out the other half, and then they reassemble.

[pyrioni]

I thought the same, five!

[fushigiotoko]

Audio is too low.

[fushigiotoko]

Try using the robotic arm as a fulcrum.

[marsjunkiegirl]

I heard funding was cut for Spirit opps, though... surprised to see this, but happy to here that they're still trying:)

[holyhell5050]

Tracks wouldn't achieve the same scope of maneuverability as the rocker-bogie arrangement and so wouldn't traverse uneven terrain or rocks as well.

[Saukko31]

Mars rover driver sounds like a best possible job.

I wonder, why all the rovers so far are wheel powered instead of tracks? I would imagine tracks being better for off-road than wheels. Do they consume much more energy that wheels or why they are not used?