Mars Lives.

[heights unknown]

Minerals are important too as we might run out of them here on earth and may need to go to mars or another planet to mine precious minerals.  We all know that water is important as the existence of water, whether in traces or other forms indicate that life may exist or may have existed on the rust red planet. 

One thing is for certain; we are the only ones inhabiting a planet in this solar system.  We may never know what really existed on Mars or what really happened for it to end up with no atmosphere until we die and appear before the Grand Creator who will explain everything.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

Are those shoes in the upper right quadrant of the photo?  Or are those wheels from the rover?

Heights Unknown

[BridgeTroll]

They are rocks... Here is the Nasa site dedicated solely to the rover mission.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

[RiversideLoki]

You guys are forgetting that you have to study the minerals to find the water. A lot of the minerals present in the sand are formed when water is present. You study the mineral content of the rocks and the soil, you discover what processes laid down the sandstones, and you have proof that water existed. If water existed, it surely still exists. Look at the water ice droplets on the Phoenix lander.

So yeah, studying minerals may seem boring and it doesn't have the "wow" factor of dramatic rocket launches, entries, and finding aliens. But it's really necessary work for us if we're going to set foot on Mars.

[mtraininjax]

The periodic table lives on Mars, YEAH!!!!

[BridgeTroll]

Looks like time may be running out for the rover Spirit.  It is still stuck in the sand with one inoperable wheel.  A dust storm has reduced its power by half and the Martian winter approaches.  Unless freed and it can move to a more favorable position to collect sunlight during the martian winter it may not survive. 

Opportunity continues its research. and is about a third of its way to a huge crater.  Its chances of making it there are probably slim due to the extended age of the rover.  It is currently investigating a meteorite found while on the way.  Dust covering the solar arrays is an issue with this rover as well.


http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

[buckethead]

As I was looking at the photograph above, I saw a yetti run right through the frame.

You guys missed it.

[Sportmotor]

Edited: saw the date

The soil may have the ability to grow, but the atmosphere, climate, lack of a readyable and accessable water source and volatile weather does not support life.

[Sportmotor]

Er never mind, I thought you were quoteing someone from a long time ago...then I saw the date this thread started X3

[BridgeTroll]

November 12, 2009

NASA to Begin Attempts to Free Sand-Trapped Mars Rover 

   

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA will begin transmitting commands to its Mars exploration rover Spirit on Monday as part of an escape plan to free the venerable robot from its Martian sand trap.

Spirit has been lodged at a site scientists call "Troy" since April 23. Researchers expect the extraction process to be long and the outcome uncertain based on tests here on Earth this spring that simulated conditions at the Martian site.

"This is going to be a lengthy process, and there's a high probability attempts to free Spirit will not be successful" said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "After the first few weeks of attempts, we're not likely to know whether Spirit will be able to free itself."

Spirit has six wheels for roving the Red Planet. The first commands will tell the rover to rotate its five working wheels forward approximately six turns. Engineers anticipate severe wheel slippage, with barely perceptible forward progress in this initial attempt. Since 2006, Spirit's right-front wheel has been inoperable, possibly because of wear and tear on a motor as a result of the rover's longevity.

Spirit will return data the next day from its first drive attempt. The results will be assessed before engineers develop and send commands for a second attempt. Using results from previous commands, engineers plan to continue escape efforts until early 2010.

"Mobility on Mars is challenging, and whatever the outcome, lessons from the work to free Spirit will enhance our knowledge about how to analyze Martian terrain and drive future Mars rovers," McCuisition said. "Spirit has provided outstanding scientific discoveries and shown us astounding vistas during its long life on Mars, which is more than 22 times longer than its designed life. "

In the spring, Spirit was driving backward and dragging the inoperable right front wheel. While driving in April, the rover's other wheels broke through a crust on the surface that was covering a bright-toned, slippery sand underneath. After a few drive attempts to get Spirit out in the subsequent days, it began sinking deeper in the sand trap. Driving was suspended to allow time for tests and reviews of possible escape strategies.

"The investigations of the rover embedding and our preparations to resume driving have been extensive and thorough," said John Callas, project manager for Spirit and Opportunity at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We've used two different test rovers here on Earth in conditions designed to simulate as best as possible Spirit's predicament. However, Earth-based tests cannot exactly replicate the conditions at Troy."

Data show Spirit is straddling the edge of a 26-foot-wide crater that had been filled long ago with sulfate-bearing sands produced in a hot water or steam environment. The deposits in the crater formed distinct layers with different compositions and tints, and they are capped by a crusty soil. It is that soil that Spirit's wheels broke through. The buried crater lies mainly to Spirit's left. Engineers have plotted an escape route from Troy that heads up a mild slope away from the crater.

"We'll start by steering the wheels straight and driving, though we may have to steer the wheels to the right to counter any downhill slip to the left," said Ashley Stroupe, a JPL rover driver and Spirit extraction testing coordinator. "Straight-ahead driving is intended to get the rover's center of gravity past a rock that lies underneath Spirit. Gaining horizontal distance without losing too much vertical clearance will be a key to success. The right front wheel's inability to rotate greatly increases the challenge."

Spirit has been examining its Martian surroundings with tools on its robotic arm and its camera mast. The rover's work at Troy has augmented earlier discoveries it made indicating ancient Mars had hot springs or steam vents, possible habitats for life. If escape attempts fail, the rover's stationary location may result in new science findings.

"The soft materials churned up by Spirit's wheels have the highest sulfur content measured on Mars," said Ray Arvidson a scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and deputy principal investigator for the science payloads on Spirit and Opportunity. "We're taking advantage of its fixed location to conduct detailed measurements of these interesting materials."

Spirit and its twin rover landed on Mars in January 2004. They have explored Mars for five years, far surpassing their original 90-day mission. Opportunity currently is driving toward a large crater called Endeavor.

[sandyshoes]

   omg, if a planet can support life, how long before they build a Wal-Mart there??

[JeffreyS]

I hope they can maneuver spirit free. I would love to them last until we happen to have a manned mission to repair them.

[BridgeTroll]

I hope so too but they have lasted looooong past their design which was 90 days.

[BridgeTroll]

The end may be near for Spirit.  It is still stuck... but making matters worse the right rear wheel may no longer be operable.  Getting unstuck with four wheels may not be possible.  Additionally... the Martian winter approaches and with the accumulation of dust on the solar panels and the rovers current unfavorable tilt it may simply freeze to death this winter.

The rover Opportunity continues its kamikaze trek to a far away crater.  Along the way it has found and analyzed numerous meteorites that are thousands of years old...

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/20091210a.html

Results of diagnostic tests on Spirit's right-rear wheel on Sol 2109 (Dec. 8, 2009) continue to indicate a troubled wheel, which may leave the rover with only four operable wheels.

The Sol 2109 plan included a check of the grind motor of Spirit's rock abrasion tool (RAT) because it shares the same motor controller as the right-rear wheel. It also included rotor resistance tests on the right-rear motor at three temperatures using opposite voltage polarity from earlier tests, backward and forward commanded motion of the right-rear wheel, and a check of rotor resistance on all other operating wheels. The RAT motor appears okay, although a more exhaustive test will be tried later. The right-rear wheel rotor resistance tests continue to show very elevated resistance, although not as high as in previous tests, and exhibiting a curious voltage-dependent effect. No motion of the right-rear wheel occurred during the backward commanded motion. The forward motion was not executed since the initial backward motion did not occur. The rotor resistances on all the other operating wheels are nominal.

The plan ahead, still being developed, will likely include more rotor resistance tests, an attempt to apply higher voltage to the right-rear wheel to see if any movement will occur, and a check of the right-front wheel to confirm its status and to see if it may offer insight into the right-rear wheel's condition. Further ahead, steering tests will be considered to explore an external jam as a possible explanation.

Concurrent with this, the project is exploring whether any meaningful rover motion would be possible with only four operable wheels. Spirit lost the use of its right front wheel in 2006.

Because of the current rover tilt, the environmental conditions and dust accumulation on the solar arrays, Spirit is at risk of inadequate power for surviving through the next southern Mars winter, which reaches solstice on May 13, 2009. Even if extrication is not possible, some limited rover motion may be able to improve rover tilt and increase the chance of winter survival.

[Jason]

I wonder how cold it gets down there.