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Phoenix to fly to Mars in 2007

NASA has given the green light to launch Phoenix spacecraft in 2007, its next mission to land on the surface of Mars. The lander will touch down in Mars’ northern polar region to explore its climate and geology and to look for signs of life, past or present. The mission may eventually lead to discoveries relating to life on our neighbouring planet. Arriving at Mars in May 2008, Phoenix will be stationary on Mars, in contrast to Nasa’s roving robots Spirit and Opportunity.

The mission is so-named because it carries with it the legacies of two earlier, failed, attempts to explore Mars. The lander was built for the Mars Surveyor mission originally planned for 2001, but mothballed by Nasa’s administration in 2000. And many scientific instruments for Phoenix were built or designed for Mars Polar Lander which was lost as it entered the Martian atmosphere in 1999.

posted by: kyawoo at 00:48 | link | comments |
unmanned missions, mars

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