main page newsspace newstwo months was given mars rover "spirit" for "rebirth".

Two months was given Mars rover "Spirit" for "rebirth".. / March 22, 2011 /

Specialists of «Spirit» rover mission will be look for signals from the vehicle wich got stuck in the total radio background during the next one or two months . If the «Spirit» does not show signs of life, the researchers finally give up attempts to regain contact with him and completely switch to work with the second rover. This was reported in a press release on the site’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA.

Mars rover «Spirit» fell into a sand trap and got stuck in April 2009. Despite numerous attempts to rescue the unit, he remained in the same place and even buried even deeper. As a result, experts decided to turn the rover in the monitoring station. However, from March 22, 2010, scientists did not receive from the «Spirit» no signal. On this day, the rover has been translated into hibernation, as the place where it is, winter comes.

In previous winters, «Spirit» warmed up their instruments, using the heat supplied to the solar panels — the average temperature of the equipment did not fall below minus 40 degrees Celsius. Due to the fact that the rover is in a trap, he has no way to turn solar arrays so that they receive the maximum possible amount of radiation. According to estimates of engineers, this season the temperature devices «Spirit» was about minus 55 degrees Celsius and below. Experts do not believe that after such a supercooling apparatus will be able to function normally.

«Spirit» and similar apparatus «Opportunity» are on Mars since 2004. Originally it was planned that their mission will last three months, but after that time she repeatedly extended. «Opportunity» is still working flawlessly and continues to explore Mars. Of the latter he had made small discoveries include the discovery of the sixth on account of the meteorite.

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