Phoenix Mars Explorer Finished it job
NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months. As expected, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot’s arctic landing site is not providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander’s instruments. Last signal from the Phoenix was received on Nov.2nd. Launched Aug. 4, 2007, Phoenix landed on Mars on May 25, 2008. It verified the presence of water-ice in the Martian subsurface. Phoenix findings also support the goal of learning the history of water on Mars.
Snowfall Seen on Mars
Spacecraft Phoenix detected snow fall 2.5 miles above Mars surface. The snow vaporizes before reaching the ground. So far, Phoenix has confirmed the existence of water-ice. Scientist expects the space probe to be active until end of October before Sun sinks in the horizon,leaving the solar-power probe without energy.
Phoenix Found Water in Mars
NASA scientists believe that the white substance exposed by Phoenix lander while digging a trench, is ice. Initially in the bottom of the trench a white material is observed, it disappeared later,meaning it must have been frozen water. Phoenix Lander’s lead investigator, Peter Smith said “These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it’s ice.” An earlier experiment carried out on Martian soil sample zyielded no evidence of water. The $420 million Phoenix mission’s main objective was to look for water in Mars. Is this the first step towards a human settlement in Mars?
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No evidence of Water.
Salt Water In Mars
Scientist have proved that Mars once had water, but they are still debating if the water was suitable to support life. After studying salt deposits left behind on the planet’s surface, Tosca and his colleagues state that the planet’s water would have been too salty for the organisms. Mars lost most of its surface over time and left with arid and cold desert. But it had been friendlier once. The origins of life on Earth is much easier than an acid pH and high salinity environment in Mars. It may be the reason why it might not have worked so well for the evolution of life on Mars.
Photo Source: www.daviddarling.info
Phoenix probe lands safely on Mars
After a 680-million-km (423-million-mile) journey from Earth, NASA’s Phoenix probe touched down on the Martian surface. Phoenix entered the Martian atmosphere at about 21,000km/h and used a thermal shield, a parachute, then pulse thrusters to slow down to a mere 8km/h. The Spacecraft landed in the far north of the Red Planet. The probe is equipped with a robotic arm to dig for water ice thought to be buried beneath the surface. Scientists say the mission should give the clearest indication yet of whether the planet could once have harbored primitive life. About half of the three dozen Mars exploration tries have failed over the past five decades. The probe was launched on 4 August 2007.
Red Planet May Be Colder
The radar scans revealed that the polar cap of the Mars has up to four layers of ice in sand and dust. Each layer is 1,000 feet thick. The crust beneath the cap is strong and more than 180 miles thick. This revealed that the poles of Mars will be more colder than was expected. Any liquid water that might exist on Mars might be hidden deeper than suspected.
Human settlement on Mars by Google!
Virgle Inc., a joint venture by Google and Virgin Group,dedicated to the establishment of a human settlement on Mars, launched yesterday. The Virgle 100 Year Plan’s milestones will include Virgle Pioneer selection (2008-2010), the first manned journey to Mars (2016), a Virgle Inc. initial public offering to capitalize on the first manned journey to Mars (2016), the founding of the first permanent Martian municipality, Virgle City (2050), and the achievement of a truly self-sustaining Martian civilization with a population exceeding 100,000 (2108).
Martian Avalanches
A series of avalanches near the north pole of Mars has been snapped by a robotic spacecraft circling the planet. The images, show at least four avalanches of fine ice and dust breaking off from a steep cliff and settling on the slope below. The landslide also triggered a massive debris cloud.
(Photo Source:www.scitech.ac.uk)
