Speaking of shutting off Mars landers...
Is there any truth to the rumor I have heard for ages that the Viking 1 lander was shut off in 1982 on purpose in some ill-guided attempt to save money, and not the official reason given that a wrong command was sent to the lander, making it points its antenna away from Earth?
While I would be very surprised if the MERs were still functioning by the time MSL arrived in 2010, I hope NASA is smart enough to keep them paid for and running until they literally do konk out. Look what Opportunity has discovered that it never would have if it had stopped by its 90-day warranty!