QUOTE (Sunspot @ Dec 10 2006, 10:40 PM)
Regarding the final position of Sojourner. The rover was designed to circle the lander if communications were broken with the lander.
No - that's what I thought, but actually - it was due to go back to the lander, but at the same time it had a keep-out zone at the lander. It would have kept trying to get closer, whilst nudging the keepout zone...and probably turned right and circled the lander not by design, simply as a symptom of two fighting commands..get close and keep out.
However - eventually, the rovers knowledge of its own location would drift and it could have gone basically anywhere.
The lander had no commands to send to the rover, and I think the lack of communication from the lander was probably a lander failure, not just a comms failure. But to be honest, who knows. Personally, I give the rover a 50% chance of still being at Chimp, a 25% chance of being near the rear rover egress aid, and a 25% chance of having gone rogue and gone crazy
Doug