Spirit Mars Rover Update -- On the way to normal recovery!

[frogfromthenorth2]

Good news -- Still a few weeks away from "driving"

Will post transcipt here in a few minutes!

[frogfromthenorth2]

1. Here is the transcript

Spirit is still serious but moving toward guarded condition," rover project manager Pete Theisinger reports. "I think we got a patient well on the way to recovery."

In the past day, engineers have determined that Spirit's flash memory hardware is OK. A leading theory today is that a portion of the rover's software simply couldn't cope with all that was happening on Wednesday when the trouble began.

The rover's batteries are now fully charged and the craft shortly will be going to sleep for the night. But before nighttime it will be relaying data to the Mars Odyssey orbiter including engineering and diagnostic information.

Theisinger predicts that Spirit will resume driving around the surface in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, the Opportunity rover is operating properly following its landing last night.

[BeatleBoot]

2. I think this is great news!

:7

[frogfromthenorth2]

3. The good thing is that meanwhile we will have great pictures and

and data from Opportunity. You should of seen these guys telling how great their landing site is. They made a hole in one by getting inside a small crater. Quite exciting!

[theHandpuppet]

4. Links to NASA sites?

Can someone please give me some links to NASA sites where I can follow the news on both Spirit and Opportunity? The TV networks are providing pitifully little info and pics. Too busy with Kobe/Laci/Michael to bother with things like exploring new worlds.

THANKS!!

[frogfromthenorth2]

5. Here is a good place to start for fresh news

http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/status.html

Here is a nice place for pics:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Mars

Here is the JPL official site

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html

[theHandpuppet]

6. Thank you so much!

I'll check out all the links!

[frogfromthenorth2]

7. You're Welcome! :-) And you're right, news coverage about this

on US TV SUCKS ROCKS.... I saw more about Spirit on French Canadian TV.... amazing...

[evworldeditor]

8. Alien Martian Soil...

I am really intrigued... as are JPL and NASA scientists... about the unusual soil characteristics at both Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum. It resembles a frozen "slush" of some type. Gil Levin -- the retired NASA scientist whose experiment on Viking back in the mid 1970s gave conflicting readings on the possibility of life in Martian soil, called it "muck." Wouldn't it be odd if Mars turned out to be a "snow cone" of frozen salt brine from a long evaporated ocean?

As for the official Mars Rover web site go to:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

For a really intriguing theory on the origins of Mars' vanished oceans and its asymetric impact cratering (most of it is in the southern hemisphere), visit Richard Hoagland's www.enterprisemission.com web site.

BTW: I had the opportunity to talk with one of the MER engineers at JPL on Sol 11 for Spirit. Learned some fascinating information like the rovers have a top speed of 30cm a second, but usually cruise at 5 cm/sec for 20 meters then stop and analyze its surroundings before moving on.

The interview is on EV World (www.evworld.com), but unfortunately it is currently reserved for our paid subscribers.