POLL: Is there hope for Spirit?

Do you think there is hope for Spirit?

  • Yes. They are doing everything perfectly. Spirit WILL come out.

    Votes: 3 60.0%
  • I think there is but they are going about it the wrong way.

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • They stalled the rescue too long and now its stuck.

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • There was no hope the instant Spirit got stuck.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    5
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pberrett

Guest
No, I think its bogged for good.

To be it highlights a lack of redundancy to deal with a situation like this. One could reasonably have anticipated that at some point the rover would have become bogged. They should have included something - an arm, an airbag or something else that would have addressed this problem.

Regards Peter
 
M

MeteorWayne

Guest
pberrett:
Uhhh, remember, it was designed to last 90 days, and is already over 5 years. It's been crippled for years by a frozen wheel, so is lucky to have been able to move at al for the last few yearsl.

Anything like an arm, airbag "or something" would have added weight, which would have had to been removed from the science payload.

As for the poll, none of the selections fit my opinion, which is we'll see. They may get it out, they may not. They have a few more months to try.
 
S

Swampcat

Guest
pberrett":qrnhxdgg said:
To be it highlights a lack of redundancy to deal with a situation like this. One could reasonably have anticipated that at some point the rover would have become bogged. They should have included something - an arm, an airbag or something else that would have addressed this problem.

Regards Peter

Both MERs were designed for a nominal mission duration of 90 Earth days. Spirit is now approaching 6 Earth years of operation. IOW, they have greatly exceeded their life expectancy. Sooner or later, something was going to fail and end their capability to perform their mission. They are, after all, robotic craft with no humans around to maintain them. In that respect, they have performed much, much better than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Keep in mind, that total mass is an important consideration when designing spacecraft. There were limits to how much mass could be sent to Mars onboard the MERs. Adding anything to cover contingencies such as this would likely have meant eliminating science instruments.

The bottom line is that the mission has been an incredible success. Opportunity is still doing its thing and the Mars Science Laboratory rover is anticipated to arrive at Mars in 2012. Managing these missions requires human resources that must be funded. Perhaps its time to move on.

Edit: Ah, I see MW beat me to the punch...was watching NASATV and got sidetracked reading Wiki pages :D
 
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MeteorWayne

Guest
LOL, of course I am watching NASA TV as well as Atlantis is on her way back to terra firma. Your answer was more detailed than mine; since mine got posted first :)
 
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rocketmonkey

Guest
pberrett wrote: "No, I think it's bogged for good... One could have reasonably have anticipated that... the rover will have become bogged... they should have included an arm..."

Dude, what are you talking about? It has a lot of hope in it. That's why its called Spirit. :lol: The only thing they might have done to doom Spirit was to stall it too long.

And NO ONE could have thought Spirit would get stuck in Martian sand. The most optimistic person on the team thought Spirit and its partner would only last 180 soles.

And by the way Spirit DID come with an arm. Not robotic hands, but drills and other useful things.
 
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CalliArcale

Guest
I went for "Yes" because I'm feeling optimistic, and because this mission has so vastly exceeded expectations already. ;-) But the reality is, of course, that we can't tell. And NASA doesn't seem quite so optimistic. The good news is that Spirit did get bogged down in a very scientifically interesting place, so if it does get stuck for good, the mission isn't over yet.
 
E

EarthlingX

Guest
CalliArcale":13opmk8m said:
I went for "Yes" because I'm feeling optimistic, and because this mission has so vastly exceeded expectations already. ;-) But the reality is, of course, that we can't tell. And NASA doesn't seem quite so optimistic. The good news is that Spirit did get bogged down in a very scientifically interesting place, so if it does get stuck for good, the mission isn't over yet.
You said it so well, i had to quote you, just to have it said one more time :)
I'm almost sure though, that any place on Mars could be interesting, if you focus on it for a longer time.
It's not over until is over and that is not yet.
Go Spirit, go ! :cool:
 
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