A steering problem disabled the Mars Rover Spirit Oct. 1, NASA officials said yesterday. The robot has not moved since.
While a fix of some sort is expected, Spirit could proceed with a greater chance of causing other problems.
The robot’s right-front and left-rear wheels “did not operate as commanded” on the first day of the month, the space agency said in a statement. Engineers are investigating possible causes and remedies, which might include disabling the brakes on the two wheels so the craft can proceed with its mission in a hampered fashion.