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mmcirvinAfter over a year of no communication, JPL is giving up on the Spirit Mars rover at Gusev Crater.
It was designed for a mission lifetime of 90 Martian days (about 92 Earth days), but actually operated for about six (Earth) years; for the last few months of that time it was stationary. Its twin, Opportunity on Meridiani Planum, is still going strong after seven years on Mars and driving toward Endeavour Crater.
The robotic exploration of Mars over the past decade and a half, with both surface-based and orbiting spacecraft, has been pretty amazing, but the Mars Exploration Rover mission has been one of the most remarkable chapters, one that isn't over yet. Here's hoping the Curiosity mission, to be launched later this year for a landing in August 2012, goes as well.
It was designed for a mission lifetime of 90 Martian days (about 92 Earth days), but actually operated for about six (Earth) years; for the last few months of that time it was stationary. Its twin, Opportunity on Meridiani Planum, is still going strong after seven years on Mars and driving toward Endeavour Crater.
The robotic exploration of Mars over the past decade and a half, with both surface-based and orbiting spacecraft, has been pretty amazing, but the Mars Exploration Rover mission has been one of the most remarkable chapters, one that isn't over yet. Here's hoping the Curiosity mission, to be launched later this year for a landing in August 2012, goes as well.