The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit appears to have recovered from its memory breakdown last week and planned to celebrate by brushing dust off a rock for better measurements of its surface-the first such cleaning on Mars. If all went well with subsequent observations of the rock "Adirondack" late last week, the rover should be on its long drive to the Bonneville Crater this week. The 200-meter-dia. crater is about 300 meters (1,000 ft.) northeast of the rover, and scientists want to find and inspect deep-lying material that was ejected to the surface when the crater was formed, as well as possibly peer into its rim (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 36). This long drive will be another first.
展开▼