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Specialists NASA lost contact with the Mars rovers Spirit.. / August 3, 2010 /

Professionals that supervise the mission rover «Spirit» does not exclude that he will not survive the winter. The device was not available in connection with the Earth, and scientists suspect that its batteries will not be able to accumulate enough energy to rover «alive» with the coming of spring. More fears of scientists set out in the press release, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA.

Mars rover «Spirit» now resides in sleep mode — in the place of Mars, where he is from May to November 2010 lasts winter. In April, at the rover’s broken wheel, and he fell into a sand trap, and therefore were unable to locate it the best way to ensure that the solar battery escaped into the greatest possible amount of radiation. Winter rover did not actively functioning, but it uses heat from the sun to heat their instruments. Scientists estimate that now «the inside» apparatus cooled to minus 55 degrees Celsius. In previous seasons (this winter for the «Spirits» is the fourth), the temperature of devices did not fall below minus 40 degrees.

To check how the «Spirit» is going through the winter, experts have tried to contact them — they gave the rover team to file a response signal. The request was sent on July 23, when the weather conditions in the area of Mars where stuck «Spirit», were optimal for the «communication». While the rover did not respond to the call sign. The last time scientists have received a response from the rover on March 22, when the «Spirit» has been translated into hibernation.

Rover, «twins» «Spirit» and «Opportunity» began its mission on Mars in January 2004. Initially it was assumed that the devices worked at the Red Planet for 90 days, but until recently they both continued to collect scientific data, despite the damage (in «Spirits» snapped one of the wheels). May 20, 2010 «Opportunity» set the record length of stay on the surface of another planet — the duration of his mission has passed for 6 years and 116 days.

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