The Mars Opportunity Rover team spent nearly five weeks working on a long-distance project to extricate the rover from a sand trap on the red planet and the work finally paid off.

The six-wheeled rover rolled into a dune of windblown sand and dust on April 26, NASA said, and began to spin its wheels.

Engineers essentially rocked the rover out of the sand from a distance of 108 million miles.

"After a nerve wracking month of hard work, the rover team is both elated and relieved to finally see our wheels sitting on top of the sand instead of half buried in it," said Jeffrey Biesiadecki, a JPL rover mobility engineer.

"We did careful testing for how to get Opportunity out of the sand. Then we patiently followed the strategy developed from the testing, monitoring every step of the way," Biesiadecki said.

The rover’s next assignment is to examine the site to give scientists a “better understanding of what makes that ripple different from the dozens of similar ones the rover easily crossed,” NASA said.

"After we analyze this area, we'll be able to plan safer driving in the terrain ahead," said JPL's Jim Erickson, rover project manager.

Opportunity and the Rover Spirit have been studying geology on opposite sides of Mars for more than a year since completing their three-month main mission last April.

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