Your upperplace for Free

Robot Spirit on Mars has ceased to issue

NASA has abandoned attempts to contact Mars robot explorer Spirit, who has not sent any signal to Earth on March 22, 2010, announced the U.S. space agency representatives.

A further attempt to contact the robot will take place on Wednesday and will be the last attempt, it says in a statement issued by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA affiliate.

NASA had hoped the last 10 months that Spirit will "back forces", by increasing the intensity of solar energy, which usually occurs after a long Martian winter, during which little sun shone on the surface of Mars.

Without a sufficient source of energy delivered by the robot's solar panels that allow its heating system, probably suffered the Spirit last year, the internal temperature is lower than in any previous six years spent on Mars.

For this reason, a number of key electronic components and connectors were undoubtedly damaged by the cold.

Equipment used to communicate with Spirit, among which is the network of antennas on Earth that NASA uses to communicate over long distances in space, but also the two orbiting Mars probes will now be required to prepare for future mission Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). The new robot will reach Mars U.S. will be released in November.

"We're currently going through a transitional period regarding the use of communications equipment necessary to ensure the launch in November of the robot exploration of Mars in the next generation, called Curiosity," said Dave Lavery, one of the coordinators program for the establishment of systems to explore the solar system.

"Although we believe that there is the slightest chance to capture any signal from the Spirit, long-distance communication network (Deep Space Network) will be directed from time to time in that direction to capture any signals" , reads the same statement.

Spirit reached the surface of Mars on January 3, 2004, for a mission that was to last just three months.

After having performed all the tasks scheduled, and the Spirit to fulfill its missions, managing to work for six years.

Its twin, Opportunity arrived on Mars three weeks later, still active today.

Video

Embedded video from
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology

Video

Comments and Share this with your friends or bookmark this website ...you have a lot of options to remember this site in seconds.