If Spirit has most it's weight on the rock, the wheels won't have any traction.

Even rotational?
I realise that it would be greatly reduced, but wouldn't there be a tiny bit of traction?
In any event, the idea I had in mind is a last-ditch effort for if Spirit does become stuck on the rock. Isn't it at least worth a try?

I would like to think that the rock is sitting on top of sand, but if so, how did it get there, and how recently? Equally plausible is that the rock was in the hollow and was partially covered by the sand that accumulated there. Think "Block Island" - that is not just sitting on top of loose sand.

Assuming the rock split off from the edge of Home Plate and tumbled down, there might be some sand under it, but maybe not much.

Bottom line is, I think you have to plan for the worst case.

As a last ditch effort, it's worth a try, sure. But I really, really hope they're successful with an extraction procedure before the rock becomes a factor.

I hate to say it but this is all a waste of time, and kind of annoying. Let's just look at pretty pictures.

Phil

'I hate to say it but this is all a waste of time, and kind of annoying. Let's just look at pretty pictures.'

At some point after every effort has been made we should face up to the fact that this is the final location of Spirit. It is a beautiful location for a stationary 'lookout on Mars', and its cameras are still in great shape. Much useful work can be done, especially with imaging in time lapse animations of the lighting changes, looking for clouds and such. I would think of this opportunity as if a lander has just set down in this highly photogenic spot by good fortune, with an indefinite time period before us to obtain photos and images under different conditions, as did the Viking landers during their long lives.

Here's a Midnight Mars Browser screenshot of the first 20 sections of the Scamander Plains Panorama. (L2 filter)

Well said, DDAVIS! Seriously, you'd think that Spirit staying stuck would be the end of the world! It wouldn't - it would just be the end of roving! We'd have, essentially, another lander on Mars, with an amazing suite of instruments and a fantastic 'landing site' to study. Spirit would still take beautiful photos daily and do worthwhile science daily. It might even end up doing the best science of its entire mission, just by being able to study and monitor one landscape for a long period of time without scooting off somewhere else.

I actually think the best images of Spirit's mission will come once she does stop roving; the camera operators and imaging planners will be able to plan shots well in advance, without any deadline pressures and, taking account and advantage of specific lighting conditions and landmarks, take shamelessly beautiful pictures that will leave us all shaking our heads in wonder.

So come on everyone, less gloom and impatience. If this is where Spirit is fated to still her wheels, so be it. But her mission will continue.

As much as the 'all is lost' sentiment tires me, I'm also put off by an almost gleeful anticipation of failure to free Spirit.

It's natural to be disappointed if Spirit does not reach it's next target even if we have already reached many more targets than we ever had any right to hope for. It's also natural to look for the good in having a still functional but immobile Spirit. But let's not go overboard in either direction.

Might I also point out that there has not been a single attempt since it got stuck, to move the rover that is sitting in Gusev Crater, on Mars, in .38g, in some unknown mixture of salts, silts and dust. Not one attempt. The only rover shown to be stuck is the one sitting in 1.0 g in a test bed full of diatomaceous earth in Pasadena. As far as I am concerned the only thing holding back Spirit right now is an abundance of caution. I will treat that as a hurdle that will eventually be overcome and do like I've been doing since Pioneer 10 was launched. I will wait patiently and trust the very smart people who have much more data to look at than I do..

I still have hope:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa-jpl/3929612279/

Best flickr photostream ever. Thanks for pointing it out. (I'm assuming it's official? Looks it, anyway.)

For anyone who has seen the musical The Fantasticks:

LUISA: Oh, my! That rover... it's stuck!

EL GALLO: The mask!

LUISA: But it can't move!

EL GALLO: The mask!

LUISA: It will never get to its next destination!

EL GALLO: Put on the mask!

(LUISA puts on the mask)

LUISA: Oh, look! It's a wonderful stationary lander! Look at the pretty pictures!



-the other Doug

I think so. Usually when a new image posts, it's also newly on the Planetary Photojournal.

So do I. A lunch break look at that interesting photostream soon took me to this great NASA jpeg worth posting here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa-jpl/3852...57616670931285/



Good to see what high quality to aim for from such limited originals - I compared my post #760 on p51!! http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...;p=144564&#

IMO that rock is barely, if at all, touching. As long as we don't start sinking down in the first few vital cms I think we will get out. IMO 4 to 1 on that Spirit gets out. In fact, I feel so optimistic that if we don't make it, I will buy any UMSFer a cappuccino (or beer) if they ever visit Alice Springs, in Central Australia!!! Now, that's confidence!!!