The Mars Rover Spirit could use a couple two-by-fours, the LA Times reports, because its wheels are spinning in place… a very faraway place:
Over the last few days, controllers at JPL have tried everything they know to free the vehicle, but its wheels have sunk deeper into the sand.
Making the process more difficult is that only five of Spirit’s six wheels are working because of a mechanical problem that occurred three years ago.
Callas said project scientists were concerned that efforts to free the rover might have dug it so deeply into the sand that its belly pan is resting on the Martian surface.
If they can’t get it to move, the NASA folks plan on converting it into a lander. It can still do plenty of work in park.