NASA ends bid to free Spirit from Martian sand
The Mars rover Spirit has logged nearly five miles during six years of rolling around the red planet. It has driven forward, backward and uphill over plains, plateaus, and even a mountain as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
No more.
NASA on Tuesday declared an end to Spirit's roving career after repeated attempts to free it from a sand pit where it's been stuck for nine months. With Martian winter approaching, the focus instead will turn to improving Spirit's tilt so its solar panels can receive maximum sunlight.
"Spirit has encountered a golfer's worst nightmare: the sand trap that no matter how many strokes you take you can't get out of it," said Doug McCuistion, who heads the Mars exploration program at NASA headquarters.
Text: AP
Image: This image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's on Jan 14, 2010. (Photograph copyright AP)
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