MARSDAILY
Spirit remains trapped in Martian sand

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only
by Staff Writers
 Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) Dec 8, 2009
NASA engineers attempting to free the Mars rover Spirit from loose Martian sand since April say the results of their attempts so far are not encouraging.

A series of diagnostic tests conducted on Spirit's right-rear wheel last week were designed to investigate stalls that occurred Nov. 28 and earlier. Those diagnostics, the space agency said, included rotor-resistance tests at three temperatures and a one-radian (about 57 degrees) forward motion test.

"The plan ahead is to explore a set of hypotheses: possible motor failure, possible internal gearbox jam, possible external jam (e.g., a rock in the wheel)," NASA said in a statement. "Commands being developed for Spirit's activities (Tuesday and Wednesday) will include more diagnostics to explore these hypotheses."

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MARSDAILY
Spirit's Diagnostic Wheel Tests Continue
Spirit Status for sol 2096-2099: Spirit's extrication from her embedded location at Troy on the west side of Home Plate has been complicated by a recurring stall condition with the right rear wheel. After diagnostic tests on Sol 2095 (Nov. 24, 2009), indicated a freely moving wheel, another two-step drive with 5 meters (16 feet) of wheel spin was commanded on Sol 2099 (Nov. 28, 2009). ... read more
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