class="wp-caption-text">Spirit rover, as seen by HiRISE on Feb. 15, 2010. Crop and colorization by Stuart Atkinson, image credit: NASA/JPL, U of AZ
Sunday, August 1, 2010
NASA Braces Rover Fans for the Worst About Spirit
JPL issued a press release today with an update that mission controllers have still not heard from the hibernating Spirit rover. Even though the rover is experiencing one of Mars' harshest winters since the rovers arrived, the rover team has begun an active "paging" technique called 'sweep and beep' in an effort to communicate with Spirit instead of just passively listening for any activity from the rover. Based on models of Mars' weather and its effect on available power, mission managers believe that if Spirit responds, it most likely will be in the next few months. But in a 'hope for the best, prepare for the worst' kind of way, the press release added, "However, there is a very distinct possibility Spirit may never respond."
"It will be the miracle from Mars if our beloved rover phones home," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "It's never faced this type of severe condition before – this is unknown territory."
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