Spirit suffers setbacks

Spirit is currently en route to its ‘Winter Haven’ on the north face of the Home Plate feature on the surface of Mars. The rover has unsuccessfully tried to navigate across a hummock of elevated terrain in order to reach the Winter Haven. It is critical that Spirit reaches Winter Haven while enough solar energy is available, and the rover has been spending every day driving rather than collecting data. In navigating the hummock, the rover slipped backwards 11.8 feet and scientists are currently strategizing the best possible route for Spirit. Once Spirit navigates this challenge, it will continue to collect data and geological information in the Home Plate area until the sunlight becomes too weak to sustain the solar panels.