Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


0

7 Minutes of Danger in Mars Quest

Probe makes risky landing Sunday in hunt for water

Share

(Newser) – The latest NASA mission searching for signs of life on Mars comes to a heart-pounding climax Sunday as the Phoenix Lander attempts to touch down at the red planet's pole in a hunt for water. The lander must perform complex maneuvers in which the whole mission is at risk for a full 7 minutes, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

Once the lander—a 900-pound jam-packed chemistry lab—has safely touched down, it will excavate 20 inches beneath the surface searching for ice that may reveal whether Mars could have once supported life. “The polar regions are where we can understand recent processes, recent climate change and potential habitability,” said the mission’s lead investigator.

JoJo Aguilar, a Mars exploration team member, dusts a full-scale model of the Phoenix lander at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
JoJo Aguilar, a Mars exploration team member, dusts a full-scale model of the Phoenix lander at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.   (AP Photo/Ric Francis)
An artist's rendering of NASA's Martian lander 'Phoenix' scheduled to land on the Red Planet Sunday.
An artist's rendering of NASA's Martian lander 'Phoenix' scheduled to land on the Red Planet Sunday.   (AP Photo/NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, C. Waste) MANDATORY CREDIT)
An artist's rendering of NASA's Martian lander 'Phoenix' scheduled to land on the Red Planet Sunday.
An artist's rendering of NASA's Martian lander 'Phoenix' scheduled to land on the Red Planet Sunday.   (AP Photo/NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Corby Waste)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.23.09
Books Are Bad for You
11.20.09
The Health-Care Wars Have Just Begun
0 comments
VIEWING:
 
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

24 Stories

 NASA Rover on Strike 

Mars Spirit fails to report for work

Jan 29, 09 3:49 AM CST
(Newser) - NASA engineers are perplexed by a rebellious streak that has developed in its Martian roving robot, Spirit. It was expected to last just 90 days when it landed on Mars five years ago, but the robot has continued to send back data. This past weekend, however, Spirit failed to report... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • Mars • Spirit • Jet Propulsion Laboratory • Mars rover • Sharon Laubach

Built for 90 Days, Mars
Rovers Mark 5 Years

Spirit, Opportunity brave adversity, and they're not done yet

Jan 3, 09 3:55 PM CST
(Newser) - NASA’s twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity are celebrating their fifth birthdays on Mars after surviving more than 20 times their expected lifespan, Space.com reports. The two probes were each built for a 90-day trek across the Red Planet but have survived computer glitches and blistering weather conditions. “... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • Mars • Opportunity • Spirit • rover

 Mars Lander Falls Silent 

Phoenix lacks the solar power to continue its mission

Nov 10, 08 5:11 PM CST
(Newser) - The Martian autumn has cut power to NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, ending its mission of scientific discovery, NASA reports. As anticipated, shorter days and increasingly overcast skies are preventing sufficient solar energy from reaching the lander’s power cells. It has already collected data for 2 months longer than... More »

MORE ABOUT:
environment • NASA • Mars • science • space • Phoenix Mars Lander • solar panel • solar panels • soil sample

24 Stories


Phoenix carries NASA's hopes for rocket landings on Mars
USA Today

Mars probe prepares for tricky touchdown
Guardian (UK)


Science & Health  •  Technology 
TwitterFollow @NewserScience on Twitter

 
NASA • water • Mars • Arctic • University of Arizona • Opportunity • Spirit • Tufts University • Phoenix Mars Lander • life • Jet Propulsion Laboratory • polar region • Washington State University

from our news partners