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Mars Rover Misses Designated Phone Home Time As Winter Nears
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April 2, 2010 1:20 p.m. EST
Topics: science and technology, scientific exploration, space program, research, United States
Ayinde O. Chase - AHN News Editor
Pasadena, CA, United States (AHN) - The Mars Rover Spirit has stopped communicating with controllers on Earth, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The announcement comes as the Mars winter begins.
According to the space agency, a scheduled communication didn't occur on Tuesday. NASA scientists believe Spirit is undergoing a low-power hibernation mode, a time when most of the robotic functions cease to ensure valuable energy is conserved.
NASA said the robot's clock will keep running, although other communications and activities will be suspended. Critical systems that will remain active will be heating and battery recharging.
"We may not hear from Spirit again for weeks or months, but we will be listening at every opportunity, and our expectation is that Spirit will resume communications when the batteries are sufficiently charged," John Callas, project manager for Spirit and its twin Martian rover, Opportunity, said in a statement.
NASA has said Spirit was communicating on a once-per-week schedule in the last few weeks.
Spirit traversed the Martian terrain for more than six years, however it was determined permanently stuck in the dirt earlier this year in January. NASA scientists remained hopeful that the robot would still be able to conduct experiments despite its limited mobility .
Spirit's twin rover Opportunity received a software upgrade last week. The new programs will allow it to decide on what items such as rocks and interesting Red Planet formations to focus its cameras on.
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