Saturday, August 04, 2007

Phoenix Mars lander: Hunting for Habitats

The Phoenix Mars Lander blasted off before dawn this morning, precisely on time, hurtling through the clear moonlit sky aboard an unmanned Delta rocket.
Aerospace Writer MARCIA DUNN of the Associated Press reports that "The Phoenix Mars Lander won't be looking for evidence of life on Mars but rather traces of organic compounds in the baked and moistened samples, which would be a possible indicator of conditions favorable for life, either now or once upon a time.

If organic compounds are present on Mars, they're more likely to have been preserved in ice. That's why NASA is aiming for the planet's high northern latitudes, where ice is almost certainly lurking just beneath the surface."


Here is a YouTube video by JPL regarding the Phoenix Mars Lander:



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