

NASA to abandon Spirit Mars Rover - United857
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/science/space/25rover.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto

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hugh3
I wasn't aware that Spirit had been incommunicado for a full year. Yep, time
to give it up. We got great value out of it.

I _must_ resist the temptation to anthropomorphize it. No, I don't feel sad
for the poor rover stuck in a cold sandtrap on another planet, cruelly
abandoned after years of faithful service. I do _not_ feel sorry for it. I
_know_ that it's no more alive than the computer on which I'm typing this,
that it's just a few random bits of electronics and some electric motors.

And yet... _sob_

~~~
trafficlight
<http://xkcd.com/695/>

~~~
mixmastamyk
We'll be back for ya, little guy ... it just may take a hundred or two earth
years.

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russell_h
While I'm sure they're doing the right thing here, this is a little sad to me
on a personal note. At the end of my ninth grade winter break (January, 2004)
I spent all day following every bit of info I could find about Spirit's
landing. The next day, back at school, I joined the school robotics club where
I eventually learned C, began using Linux and decided to pursue Computer
Science.

~~~
pforpal
I was similarly inspired by the original Pathfinder rover.

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younata
Imagine, in about 20-30 years time, humans land on Mars. If Spirit still has
its data stored to disk, and we can retrieve it, then that would mean that the
most expensive rescue operation in human history was made to rescue... a robot
that was designed to last 90 days on the Martian surface.

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mturmon
Here's a nice pic of a Spirit clone together with Sojourner (from 1997) and
the successor to Spirit and Opportunity, MSL:

[http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/images/Dec4_E-3-generation-
rove...](http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/images/Dec4_E-3-generation-rovers.jpg)

MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) should launch late this year:

<http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/overview/>

~~~
ugh
That will be one tense Rube Goldberg landing in 2012. A failure would be very
disappointing. Phoenix gives at least some hope that NASA has landing with
rocket motors on Mars under control.

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fletchowns
The way it lands is awesomely elaborate, for anybody who hasn't seen it:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BudlaGh1A0o>

Watch it in 720p!

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mkr-hn
(Some NSFW language) [http://www.theonion.com/articles/mars-rover-beginning-
to-hat...](http://www.theonion.com/articles/mars-rover-beginning-to-hate-
mars,2072/)

~~~
DavidSJ
I wouldn't want to work anywhere that article is NSFW.

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melling
How close are the two rovers? A great follow up to the Google Lunar Challenge
would be some sort of Mars Rover Challenge. Must make contact with Spirit then
drive on to Viking, or some other human lander.

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hugh3
Roughly on opposite sides of the planet. If you've got a rover that can drive
halfway around Mars, there's a lot more interesting things to look at than
that, I'm sure.

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InclinedPlane
If Opportunity traveled as fast as it possibly could it would take a century
to reach Spirit, though the chances of it lasting that long are low.

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nhangen
We'll pick it up sometime in the future. I think that's the more exciting
goal.

------
0003
<http://youtu.be/OpSVCL4vxOY>

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sliverstorm
What are the odds we can talk them into releasing the communication frequency
and protocol? If it's officially out of service, perhaps the commonwealth can
take over the vigil.

~~~
ars
It's not easy to broadcast to mars. They use the deep space network of
satellite dishes for that. I doubt it's something an amateur can do. The
frequency is the X band, but I couldn't find info on the protocol.

Also Opportunity is still active and they use the same protocol, and they
probably won't want you messing with that :)

