Mars Rover Opportunity Working Free

VernonNemitz writes "As previously reported, the Mars rover Opportunity ran into more sand (or finer material) than it was designed to handle. While initial attempts to escape may not have accomplished much, the most recent efforts seem to imply that the plucky machine is going to succeed at getting away."

Comments

Re:Ahhh come on!!!

[StratoChief66]

This is the obligatory middle so they can post a story tomorrow about how it is totally stuck again.

Kudos to NASA and team!

[guyfromindia]

This is great news... The rovers have been going on WAAY beyond their intended lifespan... Maybe we all can learn from the excellent design/descipline that the Engineers used to create these wonders!

Re:Kudos to NASA and team!

[Peldor]

Actually it turns out there was a confusion in the units.

The specifications committee set a working lifespan of 100 days, and the design team thought they meant fortnights.

Yeah

[Anonymous Coward]

"I guess ... 7.4 centimetres is better than nothing"

Yeah, that's what your girlfriend said!!!

Re:Yeah

[NanoGator]

"Yeah, that's what your girlfriend said!!!"

Nailing a dude's gf is cool, but what she said about you was pretty cold.

Update: Spirit and Opportunity

[Anonymous Coward]

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Observing 'Reef' - sol 477-482, May 17, 2005

Spirit remains in excellent health. On sols 477, 478 and 479 (May 7 to May 9, 2005), Spirit made observations with remote-sensing instruments and analyzed soil targets with its alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and Mössbauer spectrometer. Spirit then performed a short drive to a target called "Keel," on the outcrop called "Jibsheet." On sol 481, Spirit was able to begin observing a target called "Reef," using the microscopic imager and performing a 16-hour integration with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer. On sol 482 (May 12), Spirit continued work on Reef with instruments on the robotic arm, and performed a 21-hour integration with the Mössbauer spectrometer.

Spirit's total odometry as of May 12, 2005, is 4,341.19 meters (2.70 miles).

Spirit Update Archive

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Progress Inch-by-Inch for Opportunity - sol 465-466, May 17, 2005

On Opportunity's first three drives to get out of the sand trap, the rover has advanced a total of 7.4 centimeters (2.9 inches) in getting off the dune. Each of the first two drives -- one on sol 463 and one on sol 465 -- turned the wheels about two and a half rotations, enough to drive two meters (7 feet) if there were no slippage. Images from the hazard-avoidance cameras taken during the drives show that some of caked powder adhering to wheels between cleats had come off. The team was encouraged by the results, and decided go ahead with a 4-meter (13-foot) commanded drive for sol 466.

Sol-by- sol summaries:

Sol 465 (May 15, 2005): Opportunity rotated its wheels in a series of 10 steps, each step enough to roll 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) if there were no slippage. The wheels are slipping a great deal in the sand of the dune, but the rover advanced better than anticipated from simulated tests, covering 1.9 centimeters (0.7 inch). The rover used its panoramic camera for observations of the sky and dunes.
Sol 466 (May 16, 2005): Results from the sol 465 drive were good (some wheel cleats are clean and the rover is making forward progress), so the team commanded a drive that, if there were no slippage, would roll 4 meters (13 feet), consisting of ten 40-centimeter (16 inch) steps. Opportunity gained an additional 2.7 centimeters (1.1 inch). The panoramic camera made more observations of the atmosphere and dunes.

Good Job

[AT-SkyWalker]

When this first happened I remember I read somewhere that the NASA engineers outlined their trouble shooting approach by indicating that they will try to duplicate the situation here on earth and will study every maneuver before performing anything on the real thing on Mars so they won't have to resort to forceful trial and error maneuvering

This is a shinning example that meticulous work and systematic thinking eventually gets the job done, even if it sounds boring and even if a "quick fix" seems really sexy

Good Job NASA.

Re:Monster Garage needs to build the next rover

[rdwald]

Am I the only one who thinks NASA / JPL needs to outsource the next rovers to a Monster Garage build team?

Yes.

Hackneyed

[Skiron]

It is a terrible shame when quite unbelievable stuff goes on, and is treated as mundane.

To me, being born before the space race, man on the moon etc., this is still fascinating. Why current the current generation is interested in the slightest, I don't know.

What all these guys are doing was totally unthinkable 20 years ago.

Lets hope we will get another 20 years when the next generation filter through.

Re:That's nice

[Rei]

It's amazing to see the news (and especially slashdot) making such a big deal over the dune. The only reason that it took so long was because the NASA team, cautious as they were, were spending their time recreating possible scenarios in an oversized sandbox with an Opportunity replica, and trying them out. If you follow the mission, the scientists never sounded particularly concerned.

Following missions in detail, by the way, is a good way to get an idea of how overcautious these people generally are, even on missions where stuff ends up going wrong. Getting a craft to Mars and making it function there isn't easy, and following a mission (and craft design) in depth really pushes that home.

Plus, lets not forget that Mars is protected by a Galactic Ghoul that ate 4 out of 5 Soviet craft launched at it. ;)