The Mars rover Spirit, still covered in dust from the recent storms needs a spot where it can get the most sunlight in order to survive the Martian winter. The rover has recently been exploring a raised plateau, 90 meters wide, called homeplate and scientists think that if Spirit moves to the northern edge of the slope, it should produce enough power to get the rover through the winter. Other sites had been considered which offered a 20 degree tilt, allowing the rover to catch more of the light straight on, yet a site was found with a 25 degree slope, giving the rover 10 extra watt-hours each Martian day. Scientists know that they can't count on wind to clean the rover's solar panels so the extra power is necessary.
The article can be found here: http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn12884-mars-rover-spirit-to-head-north-for-the-winter.html
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