Thursday, November 13, 2008

Dust Storm on Mars Threatens Rover

· The Mars rover called Spirit is struggling to survive after a dust storm as it nears its fifth year exploring the planet, scientists said.

Mission scientists said the storm sapped the power of Spirit. Last weekend, it produced only half the power it needs to function properly.

Spirit is solar-powered, and the dust storm blocked sunshine from reaching the rover's solar panels.

Controllers on Earth commanded the rover to turn off heating and communication instruments to reduce its power usage.

"This is a very dangerous time," said project scientist Bruce Banerdt of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the mission. "If we don't hear from it on Thursday, we'll be extremely concerned."

Spirit's twin rover, Opportunity, is exploring far away and was not affected by the storm.

The Spirit news came a day after NASA declared an end to another Mars mission, the Phoenix lander, which lasted five months.