Mars Lander Finds Salty Environment In Taste Test: related news

Mars Lander Finds Salty Environment In Taste Test

(AP) The Phoenix lander's first taste test of soil near Mars' north pole reveals a briny environment similar to what can be found in backyards on Earth, scientists said Thursday.

Mars bake test hastened after oven short circuit

This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless. This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless. (AP Photo/NASA-JPL, Cory Waste)

Mars lander finds salty environment in taste test

This photo released by NASA shows four Wet Chemistry Laboratory units part of the microscopy electrochemistry and conductivity analyzer instrument on board the Phoenix Mars Lander on Aug. 4 2007 before the Phoenix was launched into space. The Phoenix ...

Mars Polar Lander, USA

The Mars Surveyor '98 Programme comprised of two spacecraft launched separately, the Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter) launched in 1996 and the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander).

Mars Polar Lander - Space Probe, USA

The Mars Surveyor '98 Programme was comprised of two spacecraft launched separately: the Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter) launched in 1996, and the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander).

Huge Impact Created Mars' Split PersonalityStudy: Mars Had Drizzle and DewAstronomers on Verge of Finding Earth's TwinPhoenix Lander Prepares to Taste Martian DirtBlack Holes All Eat the Same Way

This artistic representation of a giant impact on Mars was created from simulations by Marinova et al. (Nature, 2008). Mars is shown using a combination of Viking color images and shaded relief from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). Credit: Jeff Andrews-Hanna

NASA: Mars Lander short circuit pushes ice test up

After a short circuit last month in one of the Mars Lander's test ovens, NASA is moving its most important test to the front of the line in case this next run is the instrument's last.

NASA: Mars Lander short circuit pushes up ice test

After a short circuit last month in one of the Mars Lander's test ovens, NASA is moving its most important test to the front of the line in case this next run is the instrument's last.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first-ever image of a single particle of Mars' ubiquitous dust.

This image, released Aug. 14, 2008 and taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on June 12, 2008, shows the Lander's Robotic Arm scoop after delivering the first sample of dug-up soil to Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA, instrument suite. The Lander has sent back the first-ever image of a speck of red Martian dust taken through an atomic force microscope. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Mars bake test hastened after oven short circuit

This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless.(AP Photo/NASA-JPL, Cory Waste)

Mars Lander Finds Salty Environment

Planetary scientist David Paige of the University of California, Los Angeles, said it is too early to tell whether the minerals found in the soil could support life. Paige said the find was not surprising because rocks weather over time and bits of minerals mix with the soil. "There are a lot of outstanding questions about the composition of the soil." he said.

Mars lander's next bake test could be its last

The shadow of the stereo camera on Phoenix Mars Lander is prominent in this picture taken by the camera on June 25, only hours after the start of Mars' northern summer. Phoenix is analyzing its surroundings in the Red Planet's north polar region.

Mars Soil Resembles Veggie-Garden Dirt, Lander Finds

Soil near the north pole of Mars is surprisingly Earthlike, with a pH not unlike many vegetable gardens, according to preliminary results from the Phoenix Mars Lander.

Scientists confirm water on Mars

A full circle panoramic view of Mars taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is shown in this undated handout photo released to Reuters July 31, 2008. NASA scientists said on Thursday they had definitive proof that water exists on Mars after further tests on ice found on the planet in June by the Phoenix Mars Lander. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

11th Annual Mars Society Convention on 14th-17th August

Next week, Boulder, Colorado will play host to the eleventh annual Mars Society conference. There will be a huge array of speakers, lectures and workshops anyone can get involved in to learn more about the future of manned exploration on Mars. The Mars Society is an international organization working to raise public awareness about the opportunities we have on Mars and push for eventual manned settlements. Primarily, the Mars Society is pushing for better governmental spending in planetary missions, but there is an increasing awareness that many aims can only be achieved through private enterprise. The organization doesn't limit itself to political activities. For years the organization has managed a series of "Mars Analogues," isolated habitats where volunteers carry out extended experiments, studying everything from human psychology in

Phoenix Lander Just Watchin' the Clouds Go By

So, what do you do on a holiday? It's Labor Day here in the U.S., and the Phoenix lander on Mars is just watching the clouds go by across the Martian sky. This movie clip consists of 10 frames taken over a 10 minutes period by the Surface Stereo Imager on the lander. The images were actually taken on Sol 94 (August 29 here on Earth) at 2:52 to 3:02 local time at the Phoenix landing site on Mars northern polar region. Scientists say particles of water-ice make up these clouds, like ice-crystal cirrus clouds on Earth. Ice hazes have been common at the Phoenix site in recent days. But, of course, Phoenix is still hard at work on Mars, and recent images downloaded from the lander show the doors have been opened on another tiny oven on the TEGA (Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer), oven #1, to bake another soil sample.

Phoenix Digs Deep for 90th Day on Mars

The next sample of Martian soil being grabbed for analysis is coming from a trench about three times deeper than any other trench NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has dug. On Tuesday, August 26, the scoop on the lander's robotic arm will pick up a sample of soil from the bottom of a trench called "Stone Soup" which is about 18 centimeters, or 7 inches deep. Tuesday will be the 90th Martian day or sol that the lander has been on the Red Planet, which was the original amount of time set for Phoenix's primary mission. NASA has extended the mission through September, but the clock is ticking for the plucky little lander and the oncoming winter at Mars' north polar region.

Mars Lander Finds Perchlorate on Mars

NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has detected the presence of perchlorate, a chemically reactive salt in the Martian soil. Though the finding could mean Mars is less friendly to potential life than previously believed, scientists are optimistic.

Mars Lander's Robot Arm Shuts Down To Save Itself

Cowards Anonymous passes along a PCWorld article that begins, "The robotic arm on the Mars Lander found itself in a tough position over the weekend. After receiving instructions for a movement that would have damaged its wrist, the robotic arm recognized the problem, tried to rectify it and then shut down before it could damage itself, according to Ray Arvidson, a co-investigator for the Mars Lander's robotic arm team and a professor at Washington University in St. Louis."

Mars bake test hastened after oven short circuit

This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of ...

NASA?s Phoenix Mars Lander scoops up soil sample for lab analysis

NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander scoops up soil sample for lab analysisWashington, August 23 : NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has scooped up a soil sample from an intermediate depth between the ground surface and a subsurface icy layer and delivered it to a laboratory oven on the spacecraft for analysis.

"We Have Water" on Mars, TEGA Test Confirms

The Phoenix Mars lander finally was successful in delivering a fairly fresh sample of Martian soil to the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) oven on Wednesday and a "bake and sniff" test identified water in the soil sample. "We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for TEGA. "We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."

Study: Mars Had Drizzle and DewAstronomers on Verge of Finding Earth's TwinPhoenix Lander Prepares to Taste Martian DirtBlack Holes All Eat the Same WayCollisions Fuel Black Hole Feeding FrenziesProof! Water Ice Found on Mars

Cracks caused by the contraction of sulfate are evident in this image of the surface of Mars' Meridiani Planum site by NASA's Opportunity Rover. Credit: NASA

NASA's Phoenix Lander goes sleepless on Mars

A NASA handout image shows the Robotic Arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander with a sample of martian soil. A NASA statement said that analysis of images from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has scientists increasingly convinced of ice near the Red Planet's North Pole.(Photo:Agencies)

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