* Astronomy

This image was taken by the Spirit rover on Sol 2154.


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Credit: NASA/JPL

The rover team has begun driving Spirit backward as next technique for attempting to extricate the rover from the sand trap where it is embedded. The first two backward drives produced about 6.5 centimetres of horizontal motion and lifted the rover slightly.
Spirit performed the first backwards drive (toward the south) on Sol 2045 (Jan. 14, 2010). Until then, all drives since extrication attempts began two months earlier had been with forward driving, with Spirit facing northward. The rover first entered its present location driving backward in April 2009. The backward driving in recent days includes the additional technique of steering the wheels side-to-side before performing each step.
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Mars Rovers Begin Year 7 on Mars
NASA's Mars rover Spirit will mark six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public on Sunday. However, the upcoming Martian winter could end the roving career of the beloved, scrappy robot.
Spirit successfully landed on Mars at 04:35 UT, 4th January, 2004, and its twin Opportunity arrived at 05:05 UT, 25th January, 2004. The rovers began missions intended to last for three months but which have lasted six Earth years, or 3.2 Mars years.

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