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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Mars rover

Mars rover stories: 7 news summaries

 NASA Will 
 Try to Free 
 Rover Stuck 
 on Mars 

Spirit has been in a sand trap since April

(Newser) - Help is on the way, rover. NASA will attempt to free the Mars rover Spirit from its sand-trap prison on Monday. The plucky machine got stuck in April—“the equivalent of falling through the ice over a frozen pond," says a NASA official. Spirit has been exploring Mars... More »

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NASA space exploration Mars planet Mars rover outer space

 NASA Rover on Strike 

Mars Spirit fails to report for work

(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 »

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NASA Mars Spirit Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars rover Sharon Laubach

(Newser) - NASA is delaying the launch of its next Mars rover, which is significantly larger and more complex than previous models, until 2011, Space.com reports. The Mars Science Laboratory was set to arrive on the red planet next year, but problems with crucial mechanical components mean it will miss its... More »

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NASA space exploration Mars delay Mars rover Mars Science Laboratory launch window

 Discoveries
 Boost Hope
 for Alien Life 

New forms of extreme bacteria fuel hope for extraterrestrial life

(Newser) - Humans have always wondered about the possibility of alien life somewhere out there. And while scientists seem to agree that the discovery of extraterrestrials will not happen soon, growing numbers are convinced it will happen. The search is being fueled in part by recent discoveries of strange new life forms... More »

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NASA space bacteria extraterrestrial life aliens astrophysics extrasolar planets Mars rover

Stowaway Molecules
Could Taint Mars Results

Microscopic hitchhikers might provide false evidence in search for life

(Newser) - Missions searching for signs of life on Mars could be fooled by organic molecules that hitched a ride from Earth, a new study suggests. University of Florida researchers using simulated Martian conditions found that ATP, an energy-storing molecule fundamental to terrestrial life, could survive the trip and hang around for... More »

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NASA space exploration Mars extraterrestrial life Phoenix Mars Lander ATP Mars rover

 Martian Arctic Says Cheese 

NASA sees what it expected to see

(Newser) - The Mars Phoenix Lander is sending NASA the first photos of the red planet's northern polar region, CNN reports. On its 3-month mission, the lander will “taste and sniff the northern polar site’s soil and ice,” the agency said. The photos show brown polygons checkering the landscape... More »

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NASA Mars space Phoenix Mars Lander Mars rover

 Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts 

Budget called for 1 to hibernate, 1 to go part-time

(Newser) - NASA has spared its far-flung Mars rovers from budget cuts, reports the Washington Post, after its administrator got wind of the plan to hibernate Spirit and roll Opportunity back to part time. "Closing down either of the rovers is not on the table," his spokesman said, and... More »

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NASA Mars budget Opportunity Spirit rover Mars rover Mars Science Laboratory Mars Odyssey Michael Griffin NASA administrator

7 Stories