End of Mission
Although the mission was programmed to last a week to a month, it eventually lasted for almost three months. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.
The eventual failure was concluded to be due to repeated charging and discharging of the on-board battery, leading to its eventual death. The battery was used to heat the probe's electronics to slightly above the expected nighttime temperatures on Mars. With the failure of the battery, colder-than-normal temperatures caused essential hardware to break, leading to loss of communications.
After the landing, Pathfinder was renamed as the Sagan Memorial Station in honor of astronomer and planetologist Carl Sagan. The mission had exceeded its goals in the first month.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted Pathfinder in January 2007 (left).
Read more about this topic: Mars Pathfinder
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“We never can tell how our lives may work to the account of the general good, and we are not wise enough to know if we have fulfilled our mission or not.”
—Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (1842–1911)