In Memory of Spirit, the Mars Rover

Spirit, the first of the two rovers NASA sent to explore Mars, landed successfully on January 4, 2004 and went on to function spectacularl...

Spirit, the first of the two rovers NASA sent to explore Mars, landed successfully on January 4, 2004 and went on to function spectacularly outliving the planned 90-day mission by over 20 times. Spirit stayed on the Red Planet for a record 6 years and drove 10 km, 10 times more than planned. During the last 6 years the remote controlled robot sent unprecedented information on the geology and atmosphere of Mars.

Artist’s Concept of Rover on Mars

Then on May 1, 2009, approximately 5 years 3 months later, disaster stuck. Sprit become stuck in deep sand, rendering it immobile. For nine months NASA scientists tried every maneuver on book to try get Spirit's wheel unstuck. On January 26, 2010 NASA officials announced that the rover was likely irrecoverably though it will continue to perform scientific research from its current location.

The rover continues to operate as a static science station. However, if the rover's static position cannot be improved so that its solar panels can be tilted more towards the Sun, or if the wind does not clean the rover's dusty solar panels, the rover might not be able to collect sufficient sunlight to generate enough power to keep it in operation. With the Martian winter approaching, Spirit might only remain active till May 2010.