NASA's Mars Rovers Roll Into Martian Winter

Ron wrote:
Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington July 16, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-1727)

Whitney Clavin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone: 818/354-4673)

RELEASE: 04-227

NASA'S MARS ROVERS ROLL INTO MARTIAN WINTER

As winter approaches on Mars, NASA's Opportunity rover
continues to inch deeper into the stadium-sized crater dubbed
"Endurance." On the other side of the planet, the Spirit
rover found an intriguing patch of rock outcrop while
preparing to climb up the "Columbia Hills" backward. This
unusual approach to driving is part of a creative plan to
accommodate Spirit's aging front wheel.

Spirit, with an odometer reading of over 3.5 kilometers (2.2
miles), has already traveled six times its designed capacity.
Its right front wheel has been experiencing increased
internal resistance, and recent efforts to mitigate the
problem by redistributing the wheel's lubricant through rest
and heating have been only partially successful.


Was that the wheel they used to dig some trenches a few months
ago? Maybe some sand or grit got into the bearings...

Robert Casey ) wrote:
: Ron wrote:
: Donald Savage
: Headquarters, Washington July 16, 2004
: (Phone: 202/358-1727)
:
: Whitney Clavin
: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
: (Phone: 818/354-4673)
:
: RELEASE: 04-227
:
: NASA'S MARS ROVERS ROLL INTO MARTIAN WINTER
:
: As winter approaches on Mars, NASA's Opportunity rover
: continues to inch deeper into the stadium-sized crater dubbed
: "Endurance." On the other side of the planet, the Spirit
: rover found an intriguing patch of rock outcrop while
: preparing to climb up the "Columbia Hills" backward. This
: unusual approach to driving is part of a creative plan to
: accommodate Spirit's aging front wheel.
:
: Spirit, with an odometer reading of over 3.5 kilometers (2.2
: miles), has already traveled six times its designed capacity.
: Its right front wheel has been experiencing increased
: internal resistance, and recent efforts to mitigate the
: problem by redistributing the wheel's lubricant through rest
: and heating have been only partially successful.


: Was that the wheel they used to dig some trenches a few months
: ago? Maybe some sand or grit got into the bearings...


Shades of the Voyager II stuck scan platform that was thought to be from a
minute piece of Saturn's ring system.

Eric

Oh, they're just trying to roll theodometer back, like in Ferris Buehler's Day
off...;-)

In article ,
Robert Casey wrote:

Ron wrote:
Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington July 16, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-1727)

Whitney Clavin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone: 818/354-4673)

RELEASE: 04-227

NASA'S MARS ROVERS ROLL INTO MARTIAN WINTER

As winter approaches on Mars, NASA's Opportunity rover
continues to inch deeper into the stadium-sized crater dubbed
"Endurance." On the other side of the planet, the Spirit
rover found an intriguing patch of rock outcrop while
preparing to climb up the "Columbia Hills" backward. This
unusual approach to driving is part of a creative plan to
accommodate Spirit's aging front wheel.

Spirit, with an odometer reading of over 3.5 kilometers (2.2
miles), has already traveled six times its designed capacity.
Its right front wheel has been experiencing increased
internal resistance, and recent efforts to mitigate the
problem by redistributing the wheel's lubricant through rest
and heating have been only partially successful.


Was that the wheel they used to dig some trenches a few months
ago?

Apparently not (one of the JPL people happened to bring that up at one
of their press conferences).

--
Stephen Souter

http://www-personal.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/souters/