NASA to abandon trapped rover Spirit

NASA to abandon trapped rover Spirit

Spirit, the scrappy robot geologist that captivated the world with its antics on Mars before getting stuck in a sand trap, is about to meet its end after six productive years.

Spirit has been incommunicado for more than a year despite daily calls by NASA. The cause of Spirit's silence may never be known, but it's likely the bitter Martian winter damaged its electronics, preventing the six-wheel rover from waking up.

The space agency tried every trick to listen for Spirit to no avail. Project manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said the last commands will be sent up Wednesday. Though orbiting spacecraft will continue to listen through the end of May, chances are slim that Spirit will respond.

"Spirit went into a deep sleep," said Callas, who said the plucky rover will be remembered for demystifying Mars to the masses.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-05-rover-spirit-mission.html

What happen to 'CAN DO'! GO UP THERE AND SAVE THE LITTLE FELLA! Dam...do I have to do everything myself!?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1WyMHg0murM/TafAbiApwfI/AAAAAAAABKk/DpXTw6F7Ris/s1600/MAtt+Mason.6.jpeg

In fact, more the merrier. We can split expenses.

Lemme replace the solution in the flux copacitors and I'll be right over... :tinfoilhat:

Forgot to do that last time and ended up in pre-pre-history.

I have it on tape.

Sad, but a huge success- and nothing short of in-fucking-credible that they're still running now.

and are using its technology to learn about us, as a precursor to invasion?:tinfoilhat:

Now all I have to do is get out there and salvage it somehow...

:rofl:

:cry:

That's not Spirit, it's Tiger Woods! :cry:

I think a rescue mission is in order!

:)

HELL NO! He still blew up the Death Star!!!

The mission lasted about 20x longer than expected and the data it sent back will be pored over for years. This is one of the rare times that we humans got something right. :)

Fuckin' NASA....can't trust them at all! :rofl:

He's just pinin' for the fjords.

JPL should get some kind of prize. The mission specs on the rovers were 30 days apiece. Anything above & beyond was gravy.

Those things are destined for the history books. Amazing explorers.

When I was invited to JPL for a private viewing of the Mars rovers in the vehicle assembly building in Pasadena, I went with my dad who almost forty years to the day had been on the same tour when Mariner 3 and 4 were being prepared.

As negative as we were both feeling about America in those days, at the height of W's heyday and just hours into the war in Iraq we drove back to Orange County with an amazing feeling, and this was before anyone had any concept of how successful the rovers would be. We are planning on going to the final Shuttle launch in July with my girlfriend and her father if we can lineup a suitable boat, that may well come to be marked as a defining moment in American decline and a much more somber affair but we don't want to miss it. I can see both our fathers breaking down for that one.

It beats the Enterprise NCC-1701. Its five year mission was canceled after three seasons.

So hey, a couple of radio controlled six-wheel solar powered toys achieved what an advanced starship couldn't do. I'd say that's pretty fucking good!