Last minute diversion takes Mars rover to safety

Last minute diversion takes Mars rover to safety

20:46 10 April 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Kimm Groshong

NASA's Spirit rover has reached safety after weeks of scrambling with low power supplies
to reach a place from which to weather the approaching Martian winter. The northern-tilting
slope of the spot, dubbed Low Ridge Haven, will help maximise the sunlight reaching the rover's
solar panels, ensuring its power stays above the minimum needed.

"We've got a safe rover," say principal investigator Steve Squyres. Spirit is now parked
with about 11.5° of northerly tilt, towards the Sun. Squyres told New Scientist: "We're much,
much safer than we've been in quite a while. That's huge news for us."

The original plan had been to direct Spirit to the slopes of McCool Hill. But along the way,
the rover ran into what the team describes as "an impassable, sandy area" between two outcrops
called Oberth and Korolev.

On Thursday 6 April, the rover's controllers instructed Spirit to divert and head toward
Low Ridge Haven, less than 20 metres away. At that time, the rover was between 60 and 80 metres
from McCool Hill.