Well, it was a good run

NASA says Spirit rover's mission on Mars is all but over: Drama-queen robot fell silent in 2010; final effort to regain contact to be made Wednesday

Spirit, the scrappy robot geologist that captivated the world with its antics on Mars before getting stuck in a sand trap, is about to meet its end after six productive years.

Spirit has been incommunicado for more than a year despite daily calls by NASA. The cause of Spirit's silence may never be known, but it's likely that the bitter Martian winter damaged its electronics, preventing the six-wheeled rover from waking up.