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Old 11-10-2008, 11:19 PM   #1
tw
Read? I only know how to write.
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,933
Phoenix lander has died

The Phoenix Lander arrived on Mars in May. It has now been declared dead. Of course the numbers say why AND the numbers say why robots - not men - are the only serious way to study Mars. As the weather gets worse, the Phoenix Lander will be coated in Carbon Dioxide ice - temperatures of -250 to -300 degrees F.

Well, it might have lasted longer except that a sudden dust storm unexpectedly hit it when its batteries were severely discharged after performing an experiment.

When the ice melts next spring, scientists will take a long shot and listen for a miracle revival. Unlikely. Phoenix Lander demonstrates why a Man to Mars mission would be about as scientifically useful as the International Space Station.

Scientists will conduct an Irish wake for the Mars Phoenix Lander.
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