Right-Front and Right-Rear Wheels Sit Out Latest Drive

An artist's concept portrays a NASA Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars. An artist's concept portrays a NASA Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell University
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December 22, 2009

Spirit's drive on Sol 2120 (Dec. 19, 2009) included commands for using all six wheels. However, the right-front wheel rotated less than 2 degrees and the right-rear wheel did not rotate at all. The other four wheels completed enough rotations to drive about 10 meters (33 feet), but produced no measurable forward motion by the rover.

The rover team plans to command further driving this week while continuing to assess the possibility of getting more motion from the right-front wheel.



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