Spirit news stories on Newser

Discount Airline Close to Charging Pee Fee

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:30:00 CDT

In the latest move to squeeze every possible penny from travelers, a discount airline is close to charging flyers a fee to use the bathroom. Europe's Ryanair is preparing to dun travelers $1.50 for each trip to the loo. The airline is working with Boeing to develop a coin-operated...

Mars Rover Will Rove No More

Nick McMaster — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:15:41 CST

NASA has given up on trying to get the Spirit rover out of the Martian sand trap it's been stuck in since May. Calling the rover's position "a golfer's worst nightmare," engineers are now focused on simply helping the rover to survive the Martian winter. If it does, Spirit could...

NASA Rover on Strike

Peter Fearon — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:49:10 CST

NASA engineers are perplexed by a rebellious streak that has developed in its Martian roving robot, Spirit. It was expected to last just 90 days when it landed on Mars five years ago, but the robot has continued to send back data. This past weekend, however, Spirit failed to report...

Built for 90 Days, Mars Rovers Mark 5 Years

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:55:07 CST

NASA’s twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity are celebrating their fifth birthdays on Mars after surviving more than 20 times their expected lifespan, Space.com reports. The two probes were each built for a 90-day trek across the Red Planet but have survived computer glitches and blistering weather conditions. “These rovers...

7 Minutes of Danger in Mars Quest

Peter Fearon — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:52:48 CDT

The latest NASA mission searching for signs of life on Mars comes to a heart-pounding climax Sunday as the Phoenix Lander attempts to touch down at the red planet's pole in a hunt for water. The lander must perform complex maneuvers in which the whole mission is at risk for...

Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts

Lucas Laursen — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:10:00 CDT

NASA has spared its far-flung Mars rovers from budget cuts, reports the Washington Post, after its administrator got wind of the plan to hibernate Spirit and roll Opportunity back to part time. "Closing down either of the rovers is not on the table," his spokesman said, and underlings are looking...

$4M NASA Cut May Strand Mars Rover

Zach Samalin — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:38:00 CDT

NASA confirmed and denied plans today to scuttle a Mars rover and fire 300 employees, CNN reports. The space agency first announced a $4 million cut to the Mars program's $20 million budget and vowed to unplug one of two rovers roaming the red planet. Then a NASA spokesman told...

Opportunity Knocks on Mars

Wesley Oliver — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:47:08 CDT

NASA’s Martian explorer Opportunity reached its first destination inside the cavernous Victoria Crater yesterday and prepared to get to work drilling into bright rock layers to collect data. The six-wheeled robot last month began the precarious decline into the crater, headed for a shiny piece of bedrock that scientists think...

Mars Rover Crater Descent Delayed by Dust Storm

NewsDude — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:16:18 CDT

Mars Opportunity Rover has been perched on the edge of Victoria Crater on Mars for nine months waiting to descend and explore the crater. Then, this week, when scientists were to send it down, a dust storm thousands of miles wide partially blocked the sunlight Opportunity needs to recharge its...