But where?

2009/11/12 Lakar Iraizoz, Oihane - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Robotika
• Teknologia
• Astronomia

The Spirit vehicle has been stuck on Mars for six months for entering a soft ground zone. A team of experts has analyzed the condition of the vehicle and advised the people working on the project to remove it as soon as possible from the place where it is located. There winter is about to arrive and, if it does not leave, the solar panels of the vehicle will not receive enough energy and will not have the strength to supply the vehicle.

The problem is that five of Spirit's six wheels don't have enough grip on the ground and the sixth wheel has been broken since March 2006. In this situation, Spirit will hardly be able to go back, retracting the path that he walked when he was trapped. The team of experts recommends going forward, caught on a slope. They believe that gravity can help move the vehicle.

However, project managers consider that the solution may be worse than the problem. They don't know how the uneven soil will be, so they prefer to make the way back. Spirita has to travel two meters from the place where it is to the stable ground, but it will not be easy task.

Image courtesy of: ANDÉN