NASA’s Phoenix lander made if safely to the Martian surface and sent back its first images this evening. Since it takes over 10 minutes for the signal to get back to earth, you’re actually watching events that have already taken place. Still it’s pretty amazing just how well the landing went. The first images included some interesting shots of the local landscape. I love that in this connected age, the images were literally up on the Phoenix site minutes after they came down from the spacecraft.
Tag Archives: mars
NASA – Phoenix lander to set down Sunday
NASA’s Phoenix probe is set to land on the surface of Mars on Sunday around 8:00p EST. The lander will be setting down in a polar region. The last probe to attempt that crashed. Let’s hope this one has better luck. The Phoenix mission is somewhat similar to the Viking mission of the 1970’s in that it is a stationary lander designed to sample the soil for signs of life, or the potential to support life. NASA will hold a briefing on NASA TV and online on Saturday and will be streaming video of the event live Sunday evening. I can’t wait!!
Keep your eyes on Mars
An Asteroid Hurtles Toward Mars – TIME
According to a report in TIME, there’s a 1/75 chance that an asteroid will impact Mars in late January. That’s obviously not a very large chance (about 1%), but if the small rock does manage to hit the red planet it could well be a spectacle worth watching. Mars is currently as close as it’s going to get to Earth until 2040, so we’ve got front row seats for the event.
update: JPL (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory) has revised their prediction to give the asteroid a 1-in-25 or 4% chance of hitting Mars in January.