NASA PRESS RELEASE
A small motor in the robotic arm of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity that began stalling occasionally more than two years ago has become more troublesome recently.
Rover engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., are diagnosing why the motor, one of five in the robotic arm, stalled on April 14 after much less motion that day than in the case of several earlier stalls. They are also examining whether the motor can be used and assessing the impact on Opportunity’s work if the motor were no longer usable.
The motor controls sideways motion at the shoulder joint of the rover robotic arm. Other motors provide up-and-down motion at the shoulder and maneuverability at the elbow and wrist. A turret at the end of the arm has four tools that the arm places in contact with rocks and soils to study their composition and texture.
“Even under the worst-case scenario for this motor, Opportunity still has the capability to do some contact science with the arm,” said JPL’s John Callas, project manager for the twin rovers Opportunity and Spirit. “The vehicle has quite a bit of versatility to continue the high-priority investigations in Victoria Crater and back out on the Meridiani plains after exiting the crater.”
Continue reading ‘JPL Diagnoses Balky Shoulder Joint on Opportunity Rover’
With its budget just keeping up with inflation and large costs overruns on key programs, NASA is facing some tough decisions. A roundup of news stories below:
Major NASA projects over budget
USA Today
Two-thirds of the agency’s new programs are over-budget or behind schedule.
“NASA’s nearly stagnant budget requires the agency to cut projects to make up for unexpected expenses, and cost overruns nearly shut down one of the rovers on Mars — until it got a reprieve Tuesday. They also threaten completion of a climate-change satellite called Glory,” the paper reports.
Mars Rovers Survive NASA’s Budget Crunch
Washington Post
NASA has rescinded a letter ordering the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to make deep cuts in the operating budgets of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers that are exploring Mars.
NASA holds off on budget cuts to Mars rover program
Los Angeles Times
“An order to trim $16 million from the popular missions is withdrawn. But even bigger reductions might be called for later,” the paper reports.
NASA has blamed James Green, head of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, for not properly clearing his letter to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with Administrator Mike Griffin.
Space.com is reporting that NASA has ordered a 40 percent cut in the operating budgets for the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers over the next 18 months. The change involves a $4 million cut in the remaining FY 2008 budget and an $8 million reduction for FY 2009. It costs about $20 million annually to operate the two rovers.
NASA officials said there are no plans to “cancel” the mission of the two Mars Exploration Rovers, which have been on the Martian surface since 2004. An official told CNN that the cuts were being made to help balance overruns in the Mars Science Laboratory, which is set for launch next year. All three missions are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Continue reading ‘NASA Orders Deep Cuts in Spirit and Opportunity Rover Budget’