Wintry Doom Looms for Mars Spirit Rover
NASA's Mars Spirit Rover, now a stationary probe stuck in the sands of the Red Planet, may not survive the Martian Winter.
If you'll remember, Spirit suffered devastating wheel breakage late last year, and in January NASA officially christened the eternally immobilized rover as a "stationary probe," doomed to live of the remainder of its days stuck in the sand.
Then, on March 22, the probe entered an emergency hibernation mode and stopped communicating with NASA. It is the seventh year on-planet for Spirit, which is far, far beyond its original 90-day mission, but a looming Martian winter, coupled with an unfavorable solar panel angle (due to the position it is stuck in), could mean the rover's amazing mission is finally at an end.
Breakdown at the link.
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If you'll remember, Spirit suffered devastating wheel breakage late last year, and in January NASA officially christened the eternally immobilized rover as a "stationary probe," doomed to live of the remainder of its days stuck in the sand.
Then, on March 22, the probe entered an emergency hibernation mode and stopped communicating with NASA. It is the seventh year on-planet for Spirit, which is far, far beyond its original 90-day mission, but a looming Martian winter, coupled with an unfavorable solar panel angle (due to the position it is stuck in), could mean the rover's amazing mission is finally at an end.
Breakdown at the link.
:(