Spirit rover stuck in Martian soil:

NASA
by Staff Writers
Los Angeles (AFP) May 12, 2009
NASA's Spirit rover, which has been exploring Mars for evidence of water, has gotten stuck, perhaps inextricably, in the soft Martian soil, said officials from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
"Spirit is in a very difficult situation. We are proceeding methodically and cautiously," JPL's John Callas, project manager for Spirit and its twin rover, Opportunity, said Monday.

NASA said a team of engineers and scientists temporarily has suspended driving Spirit while assessing ways to free the rover, and are planning simulation tests using a test rover.

"It may be weeks before we try moving Spirit again. Meanwhile, we are using Spirit's scientific instruments to learn more about the physical properties of the soil that is giving us trouble," Callas said.

Five wheels that are still functioning on the six-wheel rover are sunk about halfway into the ground, rendering Spirit immobile. The sixth wheel stopped working about three years ago, space officials said.

Spirit and Opportunity launched toward Mars in 2003 seeking answers about the history of water on the Red Planet, and have operated more than five years longer than their originally-planned three-month mission.

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I saw this Article months ago, but it has since resurfaced since NASA is still trying to figure out how to get this thing out of the sand. Many things run through my mind from the "Walmart Engineer" to the question of 'why didnt you test this thing on the Moon or some place cheaper in the first place?'

A Walmart Engineer is someone from Arkansas or any place down south of the Mason Dixon line. They are the same people who make Mud Boggers, Sand Racers,Racing Lawn Mowers, you name it. If it moves and can be modified, they have done it and raced it. If you can put bigger tires on it they have done that too. One of these guys would be a perfect candidate for working at NASA.

We have been to the Moon 'allegedly'. Why not spend millions of dollars on the devil you know, and perfect the technology rather than spend billions on the one you dont. Are you kidding me? If the technology craps out on the Moon, well hey, we have already been there, so we could potentially go back up there and either fix it, or pick it up and bring it back home right?

Seems sensless to me, but what the heck Im already categorized as a "Conspiracy Theorist". Thats what people are called when they ask sensical questions of people who should know the answer and dont.