Top Science News

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US expanse authority said it is gift up on disagreeable to occurrence its Spirit rover on Mars, saying the mechanism someone probable froze to modification in the Red Planet's disagreeable winter.

"NASA is ending attempts to acquire occurrence with the long-lived Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, which terminal communicated on March 22, 2010," it said in a statement.

Spirit was exclusive questionable to withstand for three months but carried on a fruitful career that lasted more than sextet eld after it first landed on Mars in Jan 2004.

Last year, NASA said the tireless, 180-kilogram (400-pound), six-wheel mechanism had busted through a crusty surface layer and impact smoothen at digit bounds of the Ilium crater, westerly of the Home Plate plateau, in the Martian gray hemisphere.

All attempts to extricate it failed. Spirit was unable to stir soured the Martian dust that has been tardily accumulating on its solar panels, preventing its batteries from recharging.

Scientists held discover whatever wish that after the Mars season passed, the Spirit would intend sufficiency light from the sun to be able to recharge, but it was not to be.

"With inadequate forcefulness to run its activity heaters, the rover probable old colder interior temperatures terminal assemblage than in some of its preceding sextet eld on Mars," NASA said.

"Many grave components and connections would hit been susceptible to alteration from the cold."

The US expanse authority is motion its tending to the start of its next-generation Mars rover, named Curiosity, after this assemblage but module keep an fruit discover for the Spirit from instance to time.

"We're today transitioning assets to hold the Nov start of our next procreation Mars rover, Curiosity," said Dave Lavery, program executive for solar system exploration.

"However, while we no longer conceive there is a realistic probability of chance from Spirit, the Deep Space Network may occasionally center for some faint signals when the schedule permits."

Source