NASA: Mars Rover, Home Phone Season Especially After Sleeping Over

LOS ANGELES - may never hear about Mars rover Spirit is disappearing, if not responded to repeated earth.

Although the gloomy outlook, NASA makes last-ditch attempt to communicate with Spirit, which was silent for a bit 'more than a year ago. If there is still no contact with the next month or so, the space agency to reduce its campaign to listen to the Spirit and to focus on healthy living, "Opportunity.

Spirit has not called home suggests that something more serious wrong than just a power problem, "said John Callas, program manager of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California

solar-powered rover got bogged down in sand trap, and in 2009 a race routine. Despite efforts to swing freely, has been captured, and not expensive in itself to the Martian winter approaches DOM without a sufficient amount of energy when the solar panels, went to sleep.

Engineers had planned to wake Spirit once there was a solar maximum, which is trapped. But the moment came and went earlier this month with no response.

Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, put the odds of hearing a signal now in less than 50-50. Yet he stands behind the attempted appeal.

"I'd be surprised if restore communication - happy, but surprised," said Arvidson, assistant researcher with the primary mission "is so long.."

Flight controllers are paging Spirit over the frequency range and at different times of the day, if his internal clock has stopped working and lost track of time. They are also commands for the rover back on the case of a radio transmitter, the most important, is dead.

Finally, NASA will need to declare Spirit lost if there are no words. When this happens, it will be reduced to sporadic listen until the end of the year, "said Callas.

Spirit and Opportunity parachuted to opposite sides of Mars in 2004. Both have worked beyond their original mission of three months during which they found geological evidence of water on Mars.

While Spirit's odometer is stuck at 4.8 miles, Opportunity finished exploring the crater rim of Santa Maria on Mars and runs to another crater. 16.6 mi has accumulated to date.

Arizona State University astronomer Jim Bell said the loss of communications has been the worst time possible, because the Spirit has made a valuable contribution to science and property.

"It 's disappointing if we actually lost the job," he said. "But it's the best kind of disappointment can be. We had a phenomenal adventure that Rover."