The Mars Phoenix Lander Says Goodnight

The Mars Phoenix Lander has been guest blogging at Gizmodo. Today, it sent its last post.
This final entry is one that I asked be posted after my mission team announces they’ve lost contact with me. Today is that day and I must say good-bye, but I do it in triumph and not in grief.

As I’ve said before, there’s no other place I’d rather be than here. My mission lasted five months instead of three, and I’m content knowing that I worked hard and accomplished great things during that time. My work here is done, but I leave behind a legacy of images and data.

The Martian winter produces insufficient sunlight to recharge the lander's solar batteries. NASA will continue to update the Phoenix Twitter feed as the data sent from Mars is interpreted. Link -via Digg

See some suggested epitaphs for Mars Phoenix at Wired. http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/marsphoenixs-tw.html

Also worth noting is the Twitter message from October 30th:
Take care of that beautiful blue marble out there in space, our home planet. I’ll be keeping an eye from here. Space exploration FTW!

I dunno. Gets pretty cold and lonely out there on those Martian winters nights. Sometimes, a Rover's gotta do what a Rover's gotta do in order to survive.
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I take solace knowing that when we eventually colonize Mars there will be monuments people can visit for all these rovers and crashed satellites. I hope who ever gets there first doesn't try to resurrect it or move it. Just put a glass box over it and a plaque.
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I don't understand why they didn't leave an auxiliary battery in there with juice enough to let Phoenix start making power again once the winter is over and the sun comes back out.
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@McD, they had no way to heat it. The battery was warming itself using the solar panels, so no sun means the battery freezes over, and frozen electronics are never happy campers.

Goodbye, my sweet Phoenix. We can only hope you live up to your name and rise from the ashes, so to speak. Man, I am in such a mood for cliches tonight.
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