Mars Rover Slips While Leaving Crater
Even with all of its mechanical might, NASA's Opportunity rover
does have its limitations. On Monday, NASA reported that
Opportunity failed to climb up and out of the sandy crater it has
explored since landing on Mars nearly two months ago. The dry,
sandy soil and moderate slope caused the rover to spin its wheels,
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said. The six-wheeled, go-cart
sized robot slipped back as it tried to drive out of the crater on
Sunday. Controllers planned to try a second way out of the crater
— this time driving the rover diagonally across the
slope.