On November 2nd, 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander made it’s last transmission – the results of an arctic survey. It then powered down for the harsh Martian winter, with nobody at NASA expecting it to survive.

The Phoenix’s power down site has experienced fall, winter, and part of a spring – temperature fluctuations the rover was never designed to withstand. All expect that it is dead. Just in case, the Mars Oddysey Orbiter will make 30 sweeps of the area from January 18th-20th. Longer search campaigns will be undertaken in February & March.

Dr. Tom Pike, who worked on the Phoenix Lander, had this to say:

“If it does come back up, I will be very surprised – very pleasantly surprised. I think we will beg, steal or borrow the money to get back out to Arizona, into mission control and back into our old seats to get the show on the road again.”

Source & Photo Source: BBC