One Martian Rover got stuck in sand many months ago. Ongoing has been a rescue mission. But nothing has worked.
Some of the most successful American science missions - that was designed only for months and has lasted years - may be in a death watch.
Engineers may be running out of options. See the story at
Spirit.
The Martian Rovers were a last 'hail Mary' attempt by JPL to save science. A program created in the 1990s. Pioneered in Cornell University for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in CA. Most useful science from NASA only comes from unmanned operations. Martian Rovers are two spectacular examples of what makes science work. Because Mars is so harsh, these Rovers have done what only robots can due with a few hundred watts of energy. Loss of Spirit would be a tragedy - loss of a real hero.