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NASA have reported that Rover Spirit has been quiet since the 22nd of March. Last year the rover became embedded in loose sand preventing it from finding a favorable position needed to recharge its batteries for the Martian winter.

This will be the rover’s fourth winter on Mars which runs from May to November. During this time the rover goes into a low hibernation, suspending its activities in an attempt to preserve energy.

On July 26th the mission team attempted to communicate with Spirit but had no response. The rover may awake in a few months time but the major likelihood is that it will no longer respond. The director of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program said, “It will be the miracle from Mars if our beloved rover phones home.”

This will be the toughest winter yet for the rover, without enough energy to keep itself warm it will be experiencing internal temperatures of -55C (-67F). In previous winters it was able to keep temperatures above -40C and communicate with Earth once or twice a week.

Mission managers believe the earliest point Spirit would be able to communicate with Earth is around October. If they have not heard from the rover by March of 2011 then the Spirit mission will essentially be over.

Spirit and NASA’s other Exploration Rover, Opportunity, have been roving across the Martian landscape since 2004 on a mission that was expected to only last 3 months. Spirit has been in a stationary position since last year but Opportunity covered more distance in 2009 than in any previous year.

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