NASA has pulled the plug on one of its two Mars rovers. Spirit hasn’t been heard from in more than a year, and now the space agency says it’s abandoning hope that it will hear from the rover again.
Any disappointment that Spirit’s mission has come to an end has to be tempered by the fantastic success of the robotic explorer. Intended to last 90 days, Spirit operated in Gusev Crater on Mars for more than six Earth years.