The Mars Exploration Rovers have weathered two drab winters on the Martian surface, and mission managers are already looking ahead to yet a third chilly season. All this from a mission that was only designed to last 90 days.
The Spirit rover is searching for a spot to stick it out during the upcoming Martian winter, which will last from March 2008 through October 2008, according to a statement from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Although Mars has a tilt similar to Earth's, Martian seasons last longer because the planet takes almost twice as long to circle the Sun—almost 687 Earth days.
"When you're talking about the rovers surviving winter on Mars, planning many months in the future is really important," said Steve Squyres, principal scientist of the Mars Exploration Rover team at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. "But it's too soon to tell where we might situate them."
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/071011-mars-rovers-winter.html
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