Rovin', rovin', rovin' - Mars explorers don't want to stop

[depakid]

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2009/01/02/mars_wideweb__470x235,0.jpg
Spectacular … rover Opportunity's image of a dune field.
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IT IS a common complaint these days: things are just not made to last any more.

But it is one gripe that does not hold water on the red planet. The warranty on NASA's two, six-wheeled Martian rovers - Spirit and Opportunity - guaranteed their survival for only 90 days on the planet's dusty surface, and promised that they would drive a mere 600 metres.

But this weekend Spirit celebrates its fifth birthday on Mars. Its identical twin, Opportunity, reaches the same milestone on January 24. Since its landing Spirit has motored more than 7.5 kilometres, while Opportunity has clocked more than 13.6 kilometres. Together the rovers, which set down on opposite sides of Mars, have snapped about 250,000 pictures.

When Spirit opened its robotic eyes on January 4, 2004, after bouncing to a halt, it spotted a series of hills about one kilometre away. Engineers wondered whether the mechanical explorer, no bigger than a small ride-on mower, could be coaxed to reach them. Spirit not only reached the hills, but climbed 110 metres to the summit of the highest peak, and then trundled down the other side.

The rovers have found Mars was awash with salty water 4 billion years ago but was drained bone dry by some environmental catastrophe. They have sent back movies of willy willies dancing across the Martian plains and pictures of eerie sunsets.

More: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/mars-explorers-wont-stop--a-hrefhttpwwwsmhcomaunewsphotogalleryspecialssciencelifeonmars200901021230681727407htmlbphotosba/2009/01/02/1230681745988.html

[tekisui]

1. I just love those rovers.

Amazing how they have kept going.

[supernova]

4. Oh me too!

I just love whatever pics they send back. Eat 'em up like candy.

:D

If it's possible to think of a machine as adorable, then they are to me. :loveya:

[RDANGELO]

2. That's a government agency!

Conservatives are constantly spreading the myth that government can't do anything except waste money. If you get dedicated people, yes, government can accomplish things.

[krispos42]

5. Having a Republican running government...

...is like having David Duke in charge of the NAACP or Sarah Brady in charge of the NRA.

[sarge43]

3. The little engines that could.

When the current faux news is just smudgy footnotes in dusty history books, Spirit and Opportunity will be remembered and honored as pioneers of the Space Age.

[tridim]

6. Did they ever figure out what was keeping them clean?

That was a big mystery in their first year of service.

[starroute]

8. The electric universe people think it's electrostatic dust devils

That's getting into fringe science, of course -- but as far as I know, conventional science never has provided an explanation.

http://www.thunderbolts.info/thunderblogs/archives/goodspeed08/011308_unexplained_forces.htm

[Wilms]

11. I guess the author didn't see a more recent article from NASA.

Raising Spirit's Energy

For Spirit's continued journey, engineers are delighted with the unlikely role the martian wind has played in increasing the rover's staying power. A peak threat of wind is the planet-encircling dust storms that can arise in martian spring through early summer, blocking out sunlight needed for power. "Luckily," said project scientist Joy Crisp, "we haven't yet seen a global dust storm since the rovers landed on Mars, but we have seen a lot of dust devils."

In this black-and-white movie clip, a bright whirlwind scoots across the image from left to write, picking up more dust and therefore growing brighter about mid-way through its path across the surface.

Dust devils occur when the wind whirls over the surface, stirring dust up like a miniature tornado and traveling up to 13 feet per second (4 meters per second). It turns out the dust devils are primarily a lunchtime affair, mostly occurring between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at each rover site. For both rovers, these noontime winds have been very favorable.

While dozens of dust devils have passed before Spirit's cameras, some have made contact, sweeping dust from the rover's solar panels. The solar panels are then able to take in more sunlight and convert it into electricity, keeping Spirit "alive" for even longer.

http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/spotlight/spirit/20051121.html

[Posteritatis]

13. The electric universe people are not swayed by our puny human facts (nt)

[Bonescrat]

10. It's the Willy Willies... nt

[formercia]

7. Their OS is BSD Unix

Eat your heart out MS.

[Tesha]

17. Are you sure? I thought it was VxWorks (from Wind River Systems) (NT)

[Bonescrat]

9. I like the Australian term for dust devil...

"They have sent back movies of willy willies dancing across the Martian plains"

Willy willies?


:)

[pokerfan]

12. Good story on today's Weekend Edition

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98965546">NASA's Mars Rovers Still Making Tracks

Weekend Edition Saturday, January 3, 2009 · Talk about getting your money's worth. Five years ago today, NASA's roving geological robot called Spirit landed safely on the planet Mars. It was designed to last 90 days. Five years later, Spirit is still going.

And going.

And going.

The mission would have been considered a success if the rover had made it 600 yards from its landing site. Spirit has now driven nearly five miles.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98965546">More...

Complete with a slideshow and maps:

[Phoonzang]

19. Gee, I wonder how far a human on a rover could travel and how much

data they could collect in say oh....a day? Probably as far and as much as it's taken those rovers to do in 5 years.

I'm just sayin'.... :-)

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Why do I hear the theme music from "Rawhide"? nt

:)

[Odin2005]

15. The lil' rovers that could!!!

:fistbump:

[Lithos]

16. A little bit of luck

And a lot of good engineering.

L-

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. Wow, spectacular pictures

Be sure to see the slide show that comes with the article. The sun looks so tiny.