Mars Rover Spirit loses battle to escape from sand trap

Since 2004, NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers Opportunity and Spirit have continued to transmit a wealth of exciting images and extremely valuable analytical data on the surface of Mars, including several pieces of evidence pointing to the existence of water in sedimentary rock. Unfortunately, Spirit recently got stuck in a sand trap, from which it was helpless to extricate itself because two of its six wheels are not working any more. Scientists hope that, even in its marooned state, Spirit will be able to measure Martian gravity to determine if the planet is solid or liquid at its core. For further information, visit the Web page, http://www.nasa.gov/rovers