NASA is slowly switching off parts of the Phoenix Mars lander in an attempt to extend its life.

As the amount of sunlight hitting the lander’s solar panels deceases at the end of the Martian summer, engineers are turning off heaters and instruments to save power.

“If we did nothing, it wouldn’t be long before the power needed to operate the spacecraft would exceed the amount of power it generates on a daily basis,” says Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager (press release). “By turning off some heaters and instruments, we can extend the life of the lander by several weeks and still conduct some science.”

As winter draws ever closer, Phoenix prepares for the end. On its Twitter feed it is trying to stay positive though, saying, “I hope to hang on several more weeks so you will be hearing more from me :-)”.

More coverage

Mars robot’s heaters to be turned off, one by one – Reuters

Image: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University