Mars rover escapes sand dune
Posted: Mon, Jun 6, 2005, 7:05 AM ET (1105 GMT)
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity, stuck in a sand dune for over a month, has finally freed itself, project scientists announced over the weekend. In a statement posted on the rover science web site Saturday, project scientist Steve Squyres reported that all six of Opportunity's wheels were now on top of soil, indicating that the rover was now free. The rover had been stuck in a crest of a sand dune since late April while traveling towards the crater Erebus. Engineers spent weeks modeling the dune and developing driving techniques that would allow the rover to gradually free itself. Scientists plan to spend the next couple of days studying the dune before proceeding towards Erebus.
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity, stuck in a sand dune for over a month, has finally freed itself, project scientists announced over the weekend. In a statement posted on the rover science web site Saturday, project scientist Steve Squyres reported that all six of Opportunity's wheels were now on top of soil, indicating that the rover was now free. The rover had been stuck in a crest of a sand dune since late April while traveling towards the crater Erebus. Engineers spent weeks modeling the dune and developing driving techniques that would allow the rover to gradually free itself. Scientists plan to spend the next couple of days studying the dune before proceeding towards Erebus.
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