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Mars rover Spirit has renewed movement.. / April 28, 2009 /

Mars rover Spirit by NASA has renewed movement after almost three-week idle time (last time the device «moved» on April, 8th, 2009), caused by a series of malfunctions in computer system of the device. it is informed in the press release on an official site of the project.

Having renewed movement, the device has passed 1,7 metres. The distance to the following purpose of a mars rover is made about 150 metres, and by the maximum speed of movement Spirit — 180 metres per hour. The command to renew movement has been given within the limits of a series of diagnostic measures which are undertaken by engineers on the Earth to find out the reasons of «amnesia» of the device.

Let’s remind that some time ago there were messages that in computer system Spirit there were failures. The mars rover could not keep the data collected by it for some days, and the device computer has rebooted some times without a preliminary command from the Earth.

Engineers NASA have executed a series of tests for search of the reasons of unusual behaviour of a mars rover. At first they have suspected that reboot is caused by movement of the aerial of the probe intended for communication with the Earth, however a series of tests has shown that it not so. Now experts hope to find out, whether causes reboot mars rover movement.

Mission Mars Exploration Rover, in which frameworks on the Red planet there have arrived mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, has begun in 2004. Studying of mineralogical and geological structure of Martian soil, and also search of traces of water became its purpose. It was supposed that mars rovers will work 90 days, however mission proceeds till now.

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