Since our previous post on the stuck mars rover, NASA has released an update: The rover is still stuck.

Mars Spirit Rover Image: NASA

Good news comes with the successful completion of 4 and 16 degree roll tests on the once thought malfunctioned middle wheel. Spirit’s solar panels are also performing well with a level of energy production near their maximum after martian dust blew from the panels.

NASA is currently planning to image the underbody of the immobile rover to see just how badly Spirit is trapped in the sand.

Pending the recertification of the robotic arm (the instrument deployment device, or IDD), a microscopic imager (MI) mosaic of Spirit’s underbelly is planned for this coming weekend to assess the rover’s embedded condition.

Some unforecasted complications have delayed the folks at JPL. NASA released the following comments on the delay in testing recovery methods for the rover:

On the ground, testing with the surface system testbed (SSTB) rover at JPL is held up due to a computer server disk crash. That server is being restored from a huge backup tape, which is taking considerable time. In parallel, the SSTB-Lite rover (an alternate, lower-fidelity testbed rover) is being set up to conduct early tests of candidate soil simulants.

In related news, Spirit’s twin, Opportunity, has clocked its tenth mile (10.06 miles, as of Sol 1899 / May 28, 2009). Both rovers have operated over 1800 martian days past their original planned mission!

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[Update]

Related posts:

1. Spirit Rover Update – Still Stuck, But NASA is Working on it.
2. Mars Rover Stuck in Deep Sand, says NASA
3. Spirit Rover Snaps Pictures of Her Undercarriage

Spirit's Twin, Opportunity, takes a picture of her underbelly. Image: NASA

A May 18 press release from NASA releases new information about the nature of how Spirit became lodged in floury martian soil. You may remember our previous report on the stuck mars rover, showing Spirit’s front wheel embedded deep in the sand.

In this press release, NASA indicates they thought one of Spirit’s middle wheels may have jammed. Early diagnostics look promising, however, as the wheel appears to be testing well. According to NASA,

The possibility of the wheel being jammed was one factor in the rover team’s May 7 decision to temporarily suspend driving Spirit after that wheel stalled and other wheels had dug themselves about hub-deep into the soil. The test over the weekend showed electrical resistance in the left middle wheel is within the expected range for a motor that has not failed.

This is great news for Spirit, if the aging rover ever becomes unstuck. Spirit’s front wheel jammed several years ago, forcing the rover to operate in reverse while the disabled wheel dragged behind. Complications from a second jammed wheel, combined with Spirit’s “amnesia” events could induce further pressure to shutdown the rover project, a decision that was announced and later reversed last year due to budget shortfalls.

Mean while, Spirit’s twin, Opportunity, began testing a new procedure which may help NASA scientists and engineers determine whether Spirit has high-centered its chassis on martian dirt and soil. If proved useful, Spirit would lower its robotic arm and snap a picture of its underbelly.

At NASA JPL, rover team members reconstructed the martian landscape around Spirit, and are using an engineering copy of the rover to test maneuvers which may free Spirit from her shallow grave.

Check back for more updates.

[NASA Press Release]

Related posts:

1. Spirit Rover Update – Stuck Mars Rover
2. Spirit Rover Snaps Pictures of Her Undercarriage
3. Mars Rover Stuck in Deep Sand, says NASA