The asteroid was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory, California.
Spirit orbits the Sun in the outermost main-belt at a distance of 3.1–4.8 AU once every 7 years and 10 months (2,867 days).
[1] As of 2017, Spirit's rotation period and shape, as well as its spectral type remain unknown.
[1][6] This minor planet was named by the discoverers for NASA's successful Mars rover Spirit which had been exploring the rocks and minerals in the Martian Gusev crater.
[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 28 September 2004 (M.P.C.