- Original Caption Released with Image:
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After commanding five of a test rover's six wheels to drive forward, rover
driver Paolo Bellutta (left) measures how much the rover moved sideways,
downslope, during the maneuver. Rover mission manager Alfonso Herrera
(standing) checks computer entry of the data. This testing on July 6,
2009, was part of work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., to determine the best maneuvers for NASA's Mars Explortaion Rover
Spirit to use for getting out of a patch of soft soil where it is embedded
on Mars. One of Spirit's six wheels, the right-front one, has not been
operable since early 2006. The test setup simulates Spirit's challenging
situation.
To see updates on the efforts to free the Spirit rover, visit the JPL
Free Spirit website.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image Addition Date:
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2009-07-06
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