"The problem is really that we're in the dead of winter," said rover science team leader Steven Squyres, with Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
The rover, now well more than twice past its three-month design life, has been plagued with a series of computer glitches, which, while challenging, are not a threat to the mission. Spirit and an identical twin robotic geologist named Opportunity have been exploring sites on opposite sides of the planet looking for signs of past water.
On Friday, the science team breathed a collective sigh of relief that Spirit had finally landed upon an interesting slice of exposed rock perched about 30 feet higher than its original landing site in Gusev Crater.
"It's what we've been fighting to get to and it looks like we're right there," Squyres said.
More than a week of diligent science experiments are scheduled at the site, with the team scheduled to practice this weekend working from their homes and officers via the Internet rather than from a central control room at JPL.
Opportunity had its share of problems this week as well, and efforts remain under way to determine if the rover has any damage to a cable that runs along its extendable arm.
"We are being very conservative about this because we certainly don't want to do anything to jeopardize the instruments," said U.S. Geological Survey researcher Ken Herkenhoff, who is the lead scientist for the microscopic imagers that are located on the rovers' arms.
Despite the glitches, Sqyures said he feels like the rovers have months more life in them. He is already looking forward to the Martian spring thaw, which will occur at the beginning of 2005.
"Assuming we manage to survive the winter — and we think we have a reasonable chance of doing so — Spirit may get a serious second wind in January or February."
