Mars lander has trouble getting sample in oven

July 27, 2008

(AP) -- A sample of icy soil collected by the robotic arm of NASA's Phoenix Mars lander is apparently stuck in its scoop, foiling efforts to analyze it.


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zevkirsh
Jul 27, 2008

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lets hope this will be the last robotic lander mission to mars. the next should be human or none.
deatopmg
Jul 27, 2008

Rank: 2.7 / 5 (3)
"We believe that the material that was intended for the targeted cell is the material that adhered to the back of the scoop," Phoenix project manager Barry Goldstein, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said in a statement.

What a profound and insightful observation by the head of the program. He must be a political appointee.
nilbud
Jul 27, 2008

Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
Well hopefully they'll use these lessons on all the future robotic probes. Seeing as there will only be one grandstanding visit to Mars if any in the next century. The place looks pretty barren and uninteresting.
Modernmystic
Jul 29, 2008

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*snicker*
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