by Ian O'Neill
Nov. 14, 2009 -- On Monday, NASA will begin relaying commands to the beached Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit in a last-ditch attempt to free the robot from a sand trap it's been stuck in since April.
So what's the plan? After exhausting all escape plan possibilities with an identical rover in a simulated Mars sand box at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., MER project manager John Callas told Discovery News correspondent Irene Klotz that there isn't a clear solution to Spirit's predicament.
Over the coming weeks, or even months, NASA will command Spirit to slowly inch forward, but the outcome of this strategy is far from clear.
To make matters worse, there is a looming time restraint on the MER team. Winter is fast approaching and NASA must position Spirit's solar panels at just the right angle to collect the dimming sunlight as the Martian nights draw in.
Image: Spirit using its robotic arm to survey its surroundings on Oct. 19 (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
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NASA's Mars Expedition Rover Spirit has been stuck in a sand trap since April and the prognosis for the robot to drive again isn't good. However, NASA is currently staging an escape attempt. Let's have a look at the problem they are facing.
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