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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Weak Mars Rover Struggling to Find Winter Haven


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Now you see it, now you don't.

Recent storms covered the Mars rover Spirit with such a thick layer of dust (top) that it nearly blended into the Martian soil in this "self-portrait" compiled from images taken between October 26 and 29, 2007. By comparison, the rover was still shining bright (bottom) after two years on the red planet in an August 27, 2005, composite image.

Severely weakened by the dust storms, solar-powered Spirit now has just two weeks to find a suitable place to weather the dark Martian winter, NASA officials have announced.

Images courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell