Spirit (rover)
sols )Launch to last contact: 6 years, 9 months, 12 days | |
Spacecraft properties | |
---|---|
Spacecraft type | Mars Exploration Rover |
Launch mass | Total: 1,063 kg * rover: 185 kg * lander: 348 kg * backshell/parachute: 209 kg * heat shield: 78 kg * cruise stage: 193 kg * propellant: 50 kg[1] |
Dry mass | 185 kilograms (408 lb) (Rover only) |
Power | 140 watts |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | June 10, 2003, 17:58:47 UTC SLC-17A |
End of mission | |
Declared | May 25, 2011[3] |
Last contact | March 22, 2010 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Heliocentric (transfer) |
AMT | |
Landing site | 14°34′06″S 175°28′21″E / 14.5684°S 175.472636°E[6] |
Distance driven | 7.73 km (4.8 mi) |
The launch patch for Spirit, featuring Marvin the Martian NASA Mars rovers |
Spirit, also known as MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A) or MER-2, is a
The rover completed its planned 90-
On May 1, 2009 (5 years, 3 months, 27 Earth days after landing; 21 times the planned mission duration), Spirit became stuck in soft sand.[9] This was not the first of the mission's "embedding events" and for the following eight months NASA carefully analyzed the situation, running Earth-based theoretical and practical simulations, and finally programming the rover to make extrication drives in an attempt to free itself. These efforts continued until January 26, 2010, when NASA officials announced that the rover was likely irrecoverably obstructed by its location in soft sand,[10] though it continued to perform scientific research from its current location.[11]
The rover continued in a stationary science platform role until communication with Spirit stopped on March 22, 2010 (sol 2208).[12][13] JPL continued to attempt to regain contact until May 24, 2011, when NASA announced that efforts to communicate with the unresponsive rover had ended, calling the mission complete.[14][15][16][17] A formal farewell took place at NASA headquarters shortly thereafter.
Objectives
The scientific objectives of the Mars Exploration Rover mission were to:[18]
- Search for and characterize a variety of rocks and soils that hold clues to past hydrothermal activity.
- Determine the distribution and composition of minerals, rocks, and soils surrounding the landing sites.
- Determine what geologic processes have shaped the local terrain and influenced the chemistry. Such processes could include water or wind erosion, sedimentation, hydrothermal mechanisms, volcanism, and cratering.
- Perform calibration and validation of surface observations made by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) instruments. This will help determine the accuracy and effectiveness of various instruments that survey Martian geology from orbit.
- Search for iron-containing minerals, and to identify and quantify relative amounts of specific mineral types that contain water or were formed in water, such as iron-bearing carbonates.
- Characterize the mineralogy and textures of rocks and soils to determine the processes that created them.
- Search for geological clues to the environmental conditions that existed when liquid water was present.
- Assess whether those environments were conducive to life.
Mission timeline
Opportunity and Spirit rovers were part of the
Launch and landing
The MER-A (Spirit) and MER-B (Opportunity) were launched on June 10, 2003 and July 7, 2003, respectively. Though both probes launched on
Spirit successfully landed on the surface of Mars on 04:35
On May 1, 2009 (sol 1892), the rover became stuck in soft sand, the machine resting upon a cache of iron(III) sulfate (jarosite) hidden under a veneer of normal-looking soil. Iron sulfate has very little cohesion, making it difficult for the rover's wheels to gain traction.[24][25]
On January 26, 2010 (sol 2155), after several months attempting to free the rover, NASA decided to redefine the mobile robot mission by calling it a stationary research platform. Efforts were directed in preparing a more suitable orientation of the platform in relation to the Sun in an attempt to allow a more efficient recharge of the platform's batteries. This was needed to keep some systems operational during the Martian winter.[26] On March 30, 2010, Spirit skipped a planned communication session and as anticipated from recent power-supply projections, had probably entered a low-power hibernation mode.[27]
The last communication with the rover was March 22, 2010 (sol 2208)[28] and there is a strong possibility the rover's batteries lost so much energy at some point that the mission clock stopped. In previous winters the rover was able to park on a Sun-facing slope and keep its internal temperature above −40 °C (−40 °F), but since the rover was stuck on flat ground it is estimated that its internal temperature dropped to −55 °C (−67 °F). If Spirit had survived these conditions and there had been a cleaning event, there was a possibility that with the southern summer solstice in March 2011, solar energy would increase to a level that would wake up the rover.[29]
Spirit remains silent at its location, called "Troy," on the west side of Home Plate. There was no communication with the rover after March 22, 2010 (sol 2208).[30]
It is likely that Spirit experienced a low-power fault and had turned off all sub-systems, including communication, and gone into a deep sleep, trying to recharge its batteries. It is also possible that the rover had experienced a mission clock fault. If that had happened, the rover would have lost track of time and tried to remain asleep until enough sunlight struck the solar arrays to wake it. This state is called "Solar Groovy." If the rover woke up from a mission clock fault, it would only listen. Starting on July 26, 2010 (sol 2331), a new procedure to address the possible mission clock fault was implemented.
End of mission
JPL continued attempts to regain contact with Spirit until May 25, 2011, when NASA announced the end of contact efforts and the completion of the mission.[14][16][31]
According to NASA, the rover likely experienced excessively cold "internal temperatures" due to "inadequate energy to run its survival heaters" that, in turn, was a result of "a stressful Martian winter without much sunlight." Many critical components and connections would have been "susceptible to damage from the cold."
The primary surface mission for Spirit was planned to last at least 90 sols. The mission received several extensions and lasted about 2,208 sols. On August 11, 2007, Spirit obtained the second longest operational duration on the surface of Mars for a lander or rover at 1282 Sols, one sol longer than the Viking 2 lander. Viking 2 was powered by a nuclear cell whereas Spirit is powered by solar arrays. Until Opportunity overtook it on May 19, 2010, the Mars probe with longest operational period was Viking 1 that lasted for 2245 Sols on the surface of Mars. On March 22, 2010, Spirit sent its last communication, thus falling just over a month short of surpassing Viking 1's operational record. An archive of weekly updates on the rover's status can be found at the Spirit Update Archive.[32]
Spirit's total odometry is 7,730.50 meters (4.80 mi).[33]
Design and construction
Spirit (and its twin, Opportunity) are six-wheeled, solar-powered robots standing 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) high, 2.3 meters (7.5 ft) wide and 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) long and weighing 180 kilograms (400 lb). Six wheels on a rocker-bogie system enabled mobility over rough terrain. Each wheel had its own motor. The vehicle was steered at front and rear and was designed to operate safely at tilts of up to 30 degrees. The maximum speed was 5 centimeters per second (2.0 in/s);[34] 0.18 kilometers per hour (0.11 mph), although the average speed was about 1 centimeter per second (0.39 in/s). Both Spirit and Opportunity have pieces of the fallen World Trade Center's metal on them that were "turned into shields to protect cables on the drilling mechanisms".[35][36]
Solar arrays generated about 140 watts for up to fourteen hours per sol, while rechargeable
Communications depended on an omnidirectional low-gain antenna communicating at a low data rate and a steerable high-gain antenna, both in direct contact with Earth. A low-gain antenna was also used to relay data to spacecraft orbiting Mars.[39]
Science payload
The science instruments included:[40]
- Panoramic Camera (Pancam) – examined the texture, color, mineralogy, and structure of the local terrain.
- Navigation Camera (Navcam) – monochrome with a higher field of view but lower resolution, for navigation and driving.
- Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) – identified promising rocks and soils for closer examination, and determined the processes that formed them.
- Hazcams, two B&W cameras with 120 degree field of view, that provided additional data about the rover's surroundings.
The rover arm held the following instruments:[41]
- Mössbauer spectrometer (MB) MIMOS II– used for close-up investigations of the mineralogy of iron-bearing rocks and soils.
- Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) – close-up analysis of the abundances of elements that make up rocks and soils.
- Magnets – for collecting magnetic dust particles.
- Microscopic Imager (MI) – obtained close-up, high-resolution images of rocks and soils.
- Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) – exposed fresh material for examination by instruments on board.
Spirit was 'driven' by several operators throughout its mission.[42]
Power
The rover uses a combination of solar cells and a rechargeable chemical battery.
Like Earth, Mars has seasonal variations that reduce sunlight during winter. However, since the Martian year is longer than that of the Earth, the seasons fully rotate roughly once every 2 Earth years.[46] By 2016, MER-B had endured seven Martian winters, during which times power levels drop which can mean the rover avoids doing activities that use a lot of power.[46] During its first winter power levels dropped to under 300 Wh per day for two months, but some later winters were not as bad.[46]
Another factor that can reduce received power is dust in the atmosphere, especially dust storms.
Discoveries
The rocks on the plains of Gusev are a type of basalt. They contain the minerals olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase and magnetite. They look like volcanic basalt, as they are fine-grained with irregular holes (geologists would say they have vesicles and vugs).[51][52]
Much of the soil on the plains came from the breakdown of the local rocks. Fairly high levels of nickel were found in some soils; probably from
Analysis shows that the rocks have been slightly altered by tiny amounts of water. Outside coatings and cracks inside the rocks suggest water deposited minerals, maybe bromine compounds. All the rocks contain a fine coating of dust and one or more harder rinds of material. One type can be brushed off, while another needed to be ground off by the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT).[54]
The dust in Gusev Crater is the same as dust all around the planet. All the dust was found to be magnetic. Moreover, Spirit found the magnetism was caused by the mineral magnetite, especially magnetite that contained the element titanium. One magnet was able to completely divert all dust, hence all Martian dust is thought to be magnetic.[55] The spectra of the dust was similar to spectra of bright, low thermal inertia regions like Tharsis and Arabia that have been detected by orbiting satellites. A thin layer of dust, maybe less than one millimeter thick, covers all surfaces. Something in it contains a small amount of chemically bound water.[56][57]
Astronomy
Spirit pointed its cameras towards the sky and observed a
In late 2005, Spirit took advantage of a favorable energy situation to make multiple nighttime observations of both of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos.[58] These observations included a "lunar" (or rather phobian) eclipse as Spirit watched Phobos disappear into Mars' shadow. Some of Spirit's star gazing was designed to look for a predicted meteor shower caused by Halley's Comet, and although at least four imaged streaks were suspect meteors, they could not be unambiguously differentiated from those caused by cosmic rays.[58]
A
Equipment wear and failures
Both rovers passed their original mission time of 90 sols many times over. The extended time on the surface, and therefore additional stress on components, resulted in some issues developing.[30]
On March 13, 2006 (sol 778), the right front wheel ceased working[60] after having covered 4.2 mi (7 km) on Mars. Engineers began driving the rover backwards, dragging the dead wheel. Although this resulted in changes to driving techniques, the dragging effect became a useful tool, partially clearing away soil on the surface as the rover traveled, thus allowing areas to be imaged that would normally be inaccessible. However, in mid-December 2009, to the surprise of the engineers, the right front wheel showed slight movement in a wheel-test on sol 2113 and clearly rotated with normal resistance on three of four wheel-tests on sol 2117, but stalled on the fourth. On November 29, 2009 (sol 2098), the right rear wheel also stalled and remained inoperable for the remainder of the mission.
Scientific instruments also experienced degradation as a result of exposure to the harsh Martian environment and use over a far longer period than had been anticipated by the mission planners. Over time, the diamond in the resin grinding surface of the
Legacy and honors
To commemorate Spirit's great contribution to the exploration of Mars, the asteroid 37452 Spirit has been named after it.[62] The name was proposed by Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld who along with Cornelis Johannes van Houten and Tom Gehrels discovered the asteroid on September 24, 1960.
To honor the rover, the JPL team named an area near Endeavour Crater explored by the Opportunity rover, 'Spirit Point'.[63]
Gallery
The rover could take pictures with its different cameras, but only the PanCam camera had the ability to photograph a scene with different color filters. The panorama views were usually built up from PanCam images. Spirit transferred 128,224 pictures in its lifetime.[65]
See also
- Aeolis quadrangle
- Composition of Mars
- Curiosity rover
- ExoMars
- Exploration of Mars
- InSight
- Life on Mars
- List of surface features of Mars visited by Spirit and Opportunity
- Mars 2020 rover mission
- Opportunity rover
- Perseverance rover
- Scientific information from the Mars Exploration Rover mission
- Viking program
- List of software bugs related to space exploration
- Comparison of embedded computer systems on board the Mars rovers
- Zhurong (rover)
References
- ^ "Mars Exploration Rovers". NASA. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ "Spirit". NASA's Solar System Exploration website. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c Nelson, Jon. "Mars Exploration Rover – Spirit". NASA. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "Launch Event Details – When did the Rovers Launch?". Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ "Mars Exploration Rover project, NASA/JPL document NSS ISDC 2001 27/05/2001" (PDF). p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Staff. "Mapping the Mars Rovers' Landing Sites". Esri. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "NASA Spirit Rover Completes Mission on Mars" (Press release). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ^ "Special Issue: Spirit at Gusev Crater". Science. 305 (5685): 737–900. August 6, 2004.
- ^ Henry Fountain (May 26, 2009). "Crater was Shaped by Wind and Water, Mars Rover Data Shows". The New York Times.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (January 26, 2010). "Nasa accepts Spirit Mars rover 'stuck for good'". BBC News.
The US space agency (Nasa) has conceded defeat in its battle to free the Spirit rover from its Martian sand trap. The vehicle became stuck in soft soil back in May last year and all the efforts to extricate it have failed.
- ^ Brown, Dwayne; Webster, Guy (January 26, 2010). "Now a Stationary Research Platform, NASA's Mars Rover Spirit Starts a New Chapter in Red Planet Scientific Studies". NASA (Press release). Retrieved January 26, 2010.
Washington – After six years of unprecedented exploration of the Red Planet, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit no longer will be a fully mobile robot. NASA has designated the once-roving scientific explorer a stationary science platform after efforts during the past several months to free it from a sand trap have been unsuccessful.
- ^ September 30 – October 5, 2010 Spirit Remains Silent at Troy NASA. October 5, 2010.
- Planetary SocietyNovember 30, 2010
- ^ a b c Webster, Guy (May 25, 2011). "NASA's Spirit Rover Completes Mission on Mars". NASA. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ "NASA's Spirit Rover Completes Mission on Mars". NASA/JPL.
- ^ a b c "NASA Concludes Attempts to Contact Mars Rover Spirit". NASA. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ^ Chang, Kenneth (May 24, 2011). "NASA to Abandon Mars Spirit Rover". The New York Times.
- ^ "Objectives - NASA". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "Mars Exploration Rover Mission Science Objectives". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Opportunity Update Archive". NASA/JPL. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- ^ "Gusev Crater: LandingSites". marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov.
- ^ Spaceflightnow.com, Destination Mars, Rover headed toward hilly vista for martian exploration
- ^ "APOD: 2004 January 14 – A Mars Panorama from the Spirit Rover". antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov.
- ^ Maggie McKee (May 12, 2009). "Mars rover may not escape sand trap for weeks". New Scientist.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ "Now A Stationary Research Platform, NASA's Mars Rover Spirit Starts a New Chapter in Red Planet Scientific Studies". NASA. January 26, 2010. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
- ^ "Spirit May Have Begun Months-Long Hibernation". NASA. March 31, 2010.
- ^ "Spirit status". NASA. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
- Planetary SocietyJuly 31, 2010
- ^ a b Reisert, Sarah (2017). "Life on Mars". Distillations. 3 (1): 42–45. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ Atkinson, Nancy (May 25, 2011). "End of the Road for Spirit Rover". Universe Today. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ^ "Spirit Update Archive". NASA/JPL. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- ^ "Spirit Updates". Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
- ^ "Mars Exploration Rover Mission: The Mission". marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.
- ^ Chang, Kenneth (November 7, 2004). "Martian Robots, Taking Orders From a Manhattan Walk-Up". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ISBN 978-1-4013-0149-1.
- ^ "The Rover's "Brains" - NASA". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Rover's Temperature Controls - NASA". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Rover's Antennas - NASA". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Rover's "Eyes" and Other "Senses" - NASA". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Rover's "Arm" - NASA". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ Venkatraman, Vijaysree (July 13, 2015). "The space roboticist". Science magazine. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ a b "Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Technology". nasa.gov. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ "Power". Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Mars Exploration Rover Mission: All Opportunity Updates". nasa.gov. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c mars.nasa.gov. "Mars Rover Opportunity Busy Through Depth of Winter – Mars News". nasa.gov. Archived from the original on July 26, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Europe's ExoMars mission arrives in the middle of dust season". phys.org. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ NASA's Opportunity rover is in a deep sleep on Mars – but there's hope it will wake up again Archived June 14, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Loren Grush, The Verge. June 13, 2018.
- ^ Malik, Tariq. "As Massive Storm Rages on Mars, Opportunity Rover Falls Silent". Scientific American (Space.com). Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Mars Exploration Rover Mission: All Opportunity Updates". mars.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- PMID 15297668.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - S2CID 31102951.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - S2CID 129432577.
- S2CID 34983664.
- S2CID 41811443.
- ISBN 978-0-521-86698-9
- S2CID 30195269.
- ^ a b Jim Bell (Cornell University) et al. Pancam Projects: Spirit Night-time Imaging. Retrieved October 21, 2008
- ^ Chamberlin, Alan. "HORIZONS System". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov.
- ^ "JPL.NASA.GOV: Mars Exploration Rovers". www-b.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011.
- ^ "NASAʼs Mars rovers and Steve Squyres keep going and going – Cornell Chronicle". www.news.cornell.edu.
- ^ "Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Spotlight". marsrovers.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2006.
- ^ Greicius, Tony; Dunbar, Brian (August 10, 2011). "Arrival at 'Spirit Point' by Mars Rover Opportunity". NASA. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ Ross, Rollo (November 22, 2022). "'Good Night Oppy' about NASA's rover mission may make you cry". Reuters. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Mars Exploration Rover". marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.
External links
JPL, MSSS, and NASA links
- JPL's Mars Exploration Rover Mission home page
- (obsolete JPL Mars Exploration Rover home page) Archived July 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Planetary Photojournal, NASA JPL's Planetary Photojournal for Spirit
- NASA TV Special Events Schedule Archived December 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine for MER News Briefings at JPL
- Mission Status updates from NASA JPL Archived December 4, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
- Wikisource:NASA MER press briefings
- MER Analyst's Notebook, Interactive access to mission data and documentation
Other links
- SpaceFlightNow Spaceflightnow.com, Status Page last updated May 2004
- Cornell's rover site: Athena last update 2006
- Finding Spirit: interactive Mars atlas based on Viking images: you can zoom in/out and pan images, to find your preferred site. Spirit approximate position is 14.82°S (= −14.82°N), 184.85°W (= 5.15°E) (not working as of June 4, 2008)
- Google map with Spirit landing site marked
- New Scientist on Spirit Dust Devils Archived May 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, March 15, 2005
- New Scientist on Spirit wheel status, April 3, 2006
- Unmanned Spaceflight.com discussion on Spirit as of 2008-06-04 last updated 2008-06-04
- High-resolution video by Seán Doran that zooms in on Spirit's final location
- Archive of MER progress reports by A.J.S. Rayl at planetary.org