this made me irrationally sad.

[intertribal]

I hate it when people anthropomorphize machines.  It never ends well.

AP/NYT: Mars Lander Succumbs to Winter

"The Phoenix Mars lander is dead.

Mission managers said Monday that they had not heard from the NASA spacecraft for a week and that they thought it had likely fallen quiet for good.

“At this time, we’re pretty convinced the vehicle is no longer available for us to use,” said Barry Goldstein, the project manager.

With the onset of winter and declining power generated by the Phoenix’s solar panels, managers knew the lander would succumb soon, but had hoped to squeeze out a few more weeks of weather data.

But on Oct. 27, just after Phoenix finished its last major experiment analyzing Martian soil, a dust storm hit. The batteries, already depleted from the experiment, ran out of energy.

The spacecraft first put itself into a low-energy “safe mode,” then fell silent. It revived itself on Oct. 30, but was never able to fully recharge its batteries. Each day, the solar panels would generate enough electricity for the spacecraft to wake up, but then the batteries drained again.

The last communication came on Nov. 2. Mr. Goldstein said the orbiting spacecraft would continue to listen for a few more weeks on the faint chance that the Phoenix defies their expectations.

The Phoenix landed in May to examine the northern arctic plains, and the mission, originally scheduled to last three months, was extended twice."