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Posted on: Live Forum with Ashley Stroupe
at 09/24/2009 3:03pm

Unfortunately I am not a mechanical engineer, so I'm not sure what we can do to improve the wheels for sand. I also ... more(+)

vogelsong wrote:Ashley,
What has the team learned about wheel or tire design that might help future rovers get out of simular situations?

Unfortunately I am not a mechanical engineer, so I'm not sure what we can do to improve the wheels for sand. I also don't know whether this will likely be an important issue for the next rover - it will depend on where we choose to go. close(-)

Posted on: Live Forum with Ashley Stroupe
at 09/24/2009 3:01pm

Well thanks everybody for your excellent questions! Thanks for your continued interest in Spirit and Opportunity - keep ... more(+)

Well thanks everybody for your excellent questions! Thanks for your continued interest in Spirit and Opportunity - keep watching for updates on http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov! close(-)

Posted on: Live Forum with Ashley Stroupe
at 09/24/2009 3:00pm

I believe there was an article posted on the mars rover web site  more(+)

MeteorWayne wrote:Topical for me, perhaps not as much for you, sorry. Where might we find out more about what Block Island has taught us about the Martian atmosphere in the past?

MW

I believe there was an article posted on the mars rover web site http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov
It would have been by Ray Arvidson. close(-)

Posted on: Live Forum with Ashley Stroupe
at 09/24/2009 2:58pm

I am not a geologist by any means, but crater form when things fall out of the sky. These could be meteorites (and ... more(+)

silylene wrote:Hello Ashley,

As the rovers drove through the dunes, many times we have observed tiny craters on the dune surfaces, some of which appeared to be as small as 20 cm. We once had a great thread discussing varius hypothesis on how these were formed. They seemed to be formed more often on crests or near dune crests, which also seemed odd, and IIRC, Opportunity found many more than Spirit.

What do you think is the mechanism of the formation of the tiny craters?


Unfortunately, the thread where we collected many, many fine examples of pictures of these, but the thread got deleted a couple years ago. The best example i could quickly find was here: http://www.ztn.net/mars/solarsystem/04272005_tinyCrators_br.jpg

I am not a geologist by any means, but crater form when things fall out of the sky. These could be meteorites (and we've seen a lot of little ones) or ejecta from volcanic or meteor activity elsewhere. close(-)

Posted on: Live Forum with Ashley Stroupe
at 09/24/2009 2:54pm

Honestly, it is very surprising. While we knew they were designed and built to the absolute best of our ability (and we ... more(+)

TariqJMalik wrote:Hi Ashley,

Spirit and Opportunity have spent more than five years (by Earth's calendar) exploring Mars so how surprising - if at all - has it been that they're so long-lived?

Also, since they are aging, what dangers do they face (other than getting stuck in deep sand) in terms of failing equipment that could end their missions now?

Thanks!

Tariq Malik

Honestly, it is very surprising. While we knew they were designed and built to the absolute best of our ability (and we have a lot of very talented and smart people here!), Mars is a very dangerous place. The biggest surprise, and one without which we would not still be on Mars, is that it can also be friendly. The Martian winds have kept the solar panels clean, and without that we would have long ago past the time when we could no longer make enough power to survive.

At this point in their lives, it is impossible to tell what might fail next. Many thing we ca learn to work around (like the motors on the arm and wheel that have already broken) but other things we might not be able to work around. It depends on how it breaks, when, and where. close(-)

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