Los Angeles ? A broken wheel kept the Mars rover Spirit from reaching its sunny Martian winter destination spot, so it will spend the winter recharging its solar-powered batteries at an alternate site, scientists said.

Spirit was rolling toward the north-facing side of McCool Hill last month to recharge on some sunshine during the winter when its right front wheel stopped working. After they failed three times to get it to climb McCool, engineers steered Spirit to a closer slope known as Low Ridge, where it arrived over the weekend and will spend the winter, said principal scientist Steve Squyres of Cornell University.

Although the alternate site should provide enough sunlight for Spirit, it won’t be as strong as it would have received on McCool Hill, said Jacob Matijevic, engineering team chief.

Engineers are considering directing Spirit to McCool in the spring.

Spirit and its twin, Opportunity, landed on opposite ends of Mars in January 2004. Opportunity is making its way to the giant Victoria crater.

Spirit and Opportunity, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, have long outlasted their primary missions.