TFA doesn't go into these details, but we might assume that if they can shut it off then they can also turn it back on. If that's the case, leaving it inactive

TFA doesn't go into these details, but we might assume that if they can shut it off then they can also turn it back on. If that's the case, leaving it inactive may be the best thing to do in case a celestial event makes Spitzer's observations more valuable in future. If amateurs were controlling it, they might leave it in an unrecoverable state.