Opportunity Rover Heads for Spirit Point to Honor Dead Martian Sister

Spirit?s last panorama from Gusev Crater on Mars was taken during February 2010 before her death

Featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) on 30 May 2011

Spirit?s final panoramic picture show from Mars was snapped on Sol 2175 in February 2010 before entering hibernation mode in March 2010 just prior to the onset of her 4th Martian winter. Spirit was just 500 feet from her next science target - dubbed Von Braun ? center of the mosaic and related to Martian volcanism. The Columbia Hills form the backdrop to the mosaic from Spirits final resting place. Spirit succumbed to extremly low temperatures and never awoke.

NASA ceased all communications attempts with Spirit on May 25, 2011.

Mosaic Credit: Marco De Lorenzo/ Kenneth Kremer/ NASA/JPL/Cornell University

Science Team tributes below

Scientists leading NASA?s Mars rover team have selected ?Spirit Point? as the name for the spot where the ?Opportunity? Mars rover will arrive at her next destination – Endeavour Crater. The site was named in honor of the death of the ?Spirit? Mars Exploration Rover, which NASA recently declared has ceased all communications with Earth.

Spirit?s passing comes after more than six highly productive years roving the surface of the red planet as humankind?s surrogate. NASA concluded the last attempt to communicate with Spirit in a transmission on May 25, 2011.

?First landfall at Endeavour will be at the southern end of Cape York [at Spirit Point],? Steve Squyres told me. Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., is principal investigator for the rovers. (...)
Read the rest of Opportunity Rover Heads for Spirit Point to Honor Dead Martian Sister (2,364 words)

© Ken Kremer for Universe Today, 2011. |
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Post tags: Gusev Crater, life on mars, Mars, Meridiani Planum, NASA, Opportunity, Opportunity Rover, Planetary Science, Robotic Space Exploration, spirit, Spirit Rover, Top Discoveries from Spirit