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December 2, 2008 9:03:44 AM CST

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6 Stories

Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft

Soil photos lost in transmission 'not really critical,' but lander's mission delayed

Associated Press Associated Press Jun 19, 08 3:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander stopped digging yesterday to give its memory a rest after a computer glitch caused the loss of photographs and scientific data, the AP reports. Scientists were alerted to the problem after the lander transmitted a single piece of information 45,000 times. "It's unfortunate to lose any bit of science," one scientist said. "But it's not really critical stuff that you kick yourself over." More »

More about:  NASA • Mars • space exploration • Phoenix Mars Lander • robotic arm • computer glitches • JPL

 Astronaut Waves Robot Arm 

 

Japanese-built device will service equipment from Kibo laboratory

Reuters Reuters Jun 9, 08 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Japanese astronaut on board the International Space Station successfully unfolded a massive robotic arm from the newly installed Kibo laboratory today, Reuters reports. The arm moved slightly on Saturday, but today’s extension of the 33-foot device was the first full test, Space.com reports. The Japanese-built robot had nothing to grab; the equipment the arm will tend to arrives next year. More »

More about:  Japan • NASA • International Space Station • astronauts • Discovery space shuttle • space travel • Kibo • robotic arm

 Mars Through a Microscope 

Phoenix takes unprecedented Mars shots

Reuters Reuters Jun 6, 08 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first high-resolution images of another planet's dirt and sand in its continued quest for signs of life in the planet's polar region. The microscopic particles were kicked up when the lander touched down and collected  on a slide, Reuters reports. Scientists note that a whitish material in one image probably is not ice but some kind of mineral. More »

More about:  NASA • Mars • Phoenix Mars Lander • ice • salt • robotic arm • Jet Propulsion Laboratory

 Phoenix Samples Martian Dirt 

Robotic arm tested prior to search for life

Arizona Republic (Phoenix) Arizona Republic (Phoenix) Jun 2, 08 5:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander grabbed a small sample of the fine soil of the planet's polar region yesterday. It was only a test "dig and dump"—using the spacecraft's 8-foot-long robotic arm—but paves the way for retrieving and analyzing samples of Martian soil later this week, reports the Arizona Republic . More »

More about:  NASA • Mars • Phoenix Mars Lander • life • robotic arm • Jet Propulsion Laboratory • University of Arizona • TEGA

 On Mars, 'Something
 That Looks Like Ice' 

Phoenix probe sends home photos from arctic region

Space.com Space.com May 31, 08 7:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Phoenix probe sent home photos today of what looks like ice just under Mars' rocky surface, Space.com reports. "The thrusters have excavated two to six inches and, sure enough, we see something that looks like ice,” one mission scientist said. NASA picked the landing spot, in the planet's northern arctic, because it likely hid ice under a thin layer of soil. More »

More about:  NASA • Mars • extraterrestrial life • Phoenix Mars Lander • ice • robotic arm

Astronauts Will Skip Shuttle Fix

NASA decides gash won't be a hazard during re-entry

Associated Press Associated Press Aug 17, 07 2:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - NASA has decided against a risky spacewalk repair job on the gouged heat shield of the space shuttle Endeavour, AP reports. Engineers concluded that a gash in the tiled underside of the spacecraft will not be a hazard during re-entry. Attempting a repair could risk causing more damage and could be dangerous. An earlier attempt was aborted when an astronaut's glove ripped. More »

More about:  NASA • astronauts • space shuttle • spacewalk • Endeavour • repair • Columbia • robotic arm • heat shield • Challenger

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