Mars Rover Spirit is Parked Permanently

erco

Spirit is eternally stuck in the sand and hunkering down to try to survive the cold martian winter.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10441854-76.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Main: SLEEP 65535
DEBUG "B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-beep!"
IF temp>-250 THEN springthaw
GOTO·Main
springthaw: DEBUG "Now what, NASA Geniuses?"

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·"If you build it, they will come."

Whit

erco,

Thanks for the link. It would be fun to come up with a student robotics project with some of the features of the the Mars rovers. A remotely controlled robot operating in a hostile and not fully known environment. Then you could add a simulated time delay on sending and receiving information.

It is honestly amazing what all they have accomplished with these two little robots.

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Whit+


"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

Jessica Uelmen

Yes, poor little Spirit, and he was so excited to gather information for us...

http://xkcd.com/

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Jessica Uelmen
Education Department
Parallax Inc.

IRobot2

You know, I kind of take it the opposite way, even though I love xkcd. I take take it more on the side of inevitability. So instead of feeling sorry for Spirit, and giving him a meek and worried attitude, I kind of salute him like a well decorated, heroic soldier (and his team). And on the same note, I don't think the robot feels sad or bad for itself either. It is quite possibly one the most bad a... I mean... bad to the bone robots ever created. If that robot had feelings it would have an ego and the nuts (and bolts) the size of melons. Its probably up there right now saying something in a Will Smith style voice to the effect of " LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! Dust storm, electrical problems, NO Problem, driving backward, No Problem. Stuck in this crappy martian Soil? NOT a problem, I will just do research here, I CAN DO THIS, I am SPIRIT! You Cant Stop This! BRING IT!".

Plus it is not like the mission is over, he still has some important work to do. He is not dead... just impaired. Information is still being gathered, so he is more "in retirement" than in the grave. Hats off and props to Spirit and the JPL & NASA/Ames team. I can only imagine what it feels like to be a part of that...

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Alex Burke
"It is not how smart you are rather, it is how you are smart." -Jon Campbell