NASA extends Mars lander mission again: related news

NASA Selects Mission to Study Mars Atmosphere

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has selected a Mars robotic mission that will provide information about the Red Planet's atmosphere, climate history and potential habitability in greater detail than ever before. Called the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, the $485 million mission is scheduled for launch in late 2013. The selection was evaluated to have the best science value and lowest implementation risk from 20 mission investigation proposals submitted in response to a NASA Announcement of Opportunity in August 2006. "This mission will provide the first direct measurements ever taken to address key scientific questions about Mars' evolution," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA extends Mars lander mission again

NASA is extending the Phoenix Mars mission again. The three-legged spacecraft has been digging trenches near the Martian north pole since landing on May 25 and its work was supposed to end this month. Phoenix is studying whether the site could have been favorable for microbial life to emerge.

Mars Science Laboratory: Still Alive, For Now

The Mars Science Laboratory, the next generation of Mars rovers slated to head to Mars in 2009, is still alive, for the time being. The car-sized rover designed to look for life on Mars is over budget and behind schedule due to technical problems, and NASA officials met today to discuss their options. Potentially, Congress could pull the plug on the mission if cost overruns go too high. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and Science Associate Administrator Ed Weiler were briefed, and met with mission managers in attempt to work out a potential solution. In a press briefing today, Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA headquarters said the rover's progress will be assessed again in January, but the mission will need more money.

Lockheed Gets $485M From NASA To Create MAVEN Craft

coondoggie writes to tell us that Lockheed Martin has landed a $485 million contract to create the spacecraft for NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) project. "MAVEN is the second mission in NASA's Mars Scout Program — a series of small, low-cost, principal investigator-led missions to the Red Planet, NASA said. The Phoenix Mars Lander was the first mission under the program. Lockheed Martin is the industry partner on the Phoenix mission. It designed and built the spacecraft, and also provided flight operations and currently surface operations for the lander. The mission has been extended through Sept. 30, 2008."

NASA Says Phoenix Mars Mission Has Ended

This artist's rendering provided by NASA shows the Phoenix Mars spacecraft. NASA said Monday, Nov. 10. 2008, that the Phoenix Mars mission has ended. The lander has been digging trenches and conducting science experiments since May, to study whether the environment on Mars could support primitive life. (AP Photo/NASA)

Mars Lander Mission Over Says NASA

The Phoenix lander hasn't been heard from since the 2nd of November, which is believed to be due to the beginning of the Martian winter and a recent dust storm. Scientists have made efforts to re-establish contact with the spacecraft, but aren't expecting the silence to be broken. They do however, hold out hope that the lander may surprise them and will also make attempts to reactive the Phoenix once the warmth of Spring kicks in. Since the Phoenix landed on Mars on May 25th this year, it has uncovered information about the chemical composition of the soil on the red planet. NASA's next Mars mission is due to launch next summer, though could be set back until 2011.

Mission's End Approaching for Phoenix Lander

The days are getting shorter for the Phoenix Mars Lander, and as fall approaches on Mars’ northern plains, the scientists and engineers for the mission are quickly trying get as much done before power levels on the lander drop too low for any more scientific activities. In the image here, blue-ish white frost appears on Mars surface every day now as the temperatures continue to drop. This image was taken on the 131st Martian day or sol of the mission, October 7 here on Earth. Clearly visible are the interlocking polygon shapes that form in permafrost from seasonal freezes and thaws. These polygon patterns were seen in orbital pictures taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, as well as other spacecraft, and are part of the evidence that Mars' north polar region harbors large quantities of frozen water.

Phoenix lander still operating on Mars

This July 31, 2008 NASA photo shows a portion of a larger panoramic photo mosaic made up of more than 400 images taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. A section of the spacecraft along with its meteorology mast, topped by the telltale wind gauge, can be seen with the bleak Mars landscape in the background. NASA has announced they will be extending the Phoenix mission until the end of September after the lander recently found evidence of water on the Martian surface. (UPI Photo/NASA)

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Ceased Communications

Goodbye Phoenix Mars Lander. May be we will see you on Mars somewhere when we get there ourselves. You did a great job sending wonderful images of Mars and letting the humanity know more about the red planet. NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months.

NASA declares Phoenix Mars lander dead

After months of dust storms and severe cold, NASA's Phoenix Mars lander has been declared dead by mission scientists, who celebrated the probe's success as the first to touch ice on the red planet.ice-in-martian-soil-300x245 NASA declares Phoenix Mars lander dead

ASU Mars instrument gets new lease on life as NASA extends Mars Odyssey mission

TEMPE, Ariz. - A six-minute rocket firing on September 30 has put NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft on track for a new orbit around the Red Planet. The change, part of a two-year extension for the mission, will give an ASU-operated instrument carried on Odyssey greater sensitivity for mapping Martian minerals. The instrument is the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), a multi-band heat-sensing camera operated by ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility.

NASA Can't Reach Mars Lander, Ends Mission

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander monitors the atmosphere overhead and reaches out to the soil below in this artist's depiction of the spacecraft fully deployed on the surface of Mars. (NASA/JPL/UA/Lockheed Martin)

Phoenix Lander Will Listen to the Sounds of Mars

We may be able to hear, for the first time, what it sounds like on the surface of Mars. The Phoenix Lander has a microphone on board, which will be switched on in upcoming days of operations. "This is definitely a first," said Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith. The microphone is a part of the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) system on the underside of the lander designed to take images of Mars' surface during the lander's descent. However, the system was never used. Tests of the system during the flight to Mars revealed the possibility that using it might cause other parts of the landing system to not function correctly. But using it later wasn't ruled out. So, after updated software is sent to the lander, the microphone will be turned on.

NASA loses contact with Phoenix Lander space probe after lack of solar power ends its life on Mars

NASA scientists have announced they can no longer communicate with the Phoenix Mars Lander and are calling an effective end to its five-month-plus mission on the Red Planet. Mission engineers last received a signal from the lander on November 2, the space agency said.

Mars Lander Mission Appears to be Over

This image shows NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s solar panel and the lander’s Robotic Arm with a sample in the scoop on June 10, 2008. The image was taken just before the sample was delivered to the Optical Microscope. This view is a part of the "mission success" panorama that will show the whole landing site in color. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University

NASA Announces Next Mars Mission

Grant Henninger writes "Today, NASA announced their final selection for the Mars Scout 2013 mission: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN. MAVEN will provide the first direct measurements ever taken to address key scientific questions about Mars's evolution by measuring characteristics of its atmospheric gases, upper atmosphere, solar wind, and ionosphere. The mission, estimated to cost $485M, is scheduled for launch in late 2013."

NASA declares Phoenix Mars lander dead

Washington, Nov 11: After months of dust storms and severe cold, NASA's Phoenix Mars lander has been declared dead by mission scientists, who celebrated the probe's success as the first to touch ice on the red planet. Mission managers said on Monday that Phoenix had lasted long after its planned 90 days, and they celebrated the success of the spacecraft. "It's really an Irish wake and not a funeral," said Peter Smith, Phoenix mission principal investigator at the University of Arizona in Tucson, in a teleconference call with reporters.

NASA Extends Phoenix Lander Mission

NASA announced on Monday it was extending the Mars Phoenix lander’s mission, saying it will operate until it dies in the cold, dark Martian winter.

NASA ends Mars mission with Lander lost in space (ABC)

NASA scientists say they can no longer communicate with the Phoenix Mars Lander and are calling an effective end to its five-month-plus mission on the Red Planet.

Nasa extends Phoenix mission on snowy Mars

Washington - Nasa extended the mission of the busy Phoenix lander on Monday, saying it will operate the lander until it dies in the cold and dark of the Martian winter.

NASA extends Phoenix mission as snow falls on Mars (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA extended the mission of the busy Phoenix lander Monday, saying it will operate the lander until it dies in the cold and dark of the Martian winter.

RIP Mars Phoenix Lander

Mars Phoenix Lander finalAfter five months of scraping and digging into the soil at a lonely spot near the Martian north pole, NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander has finally succumbed to the cold, dark Martian winter. NASA scientists announced yesterday that they hadn’t received a communication from the lander since November 2, and pronounced the death of Phoenix.

NASA: Mars lander silent, mission over

(CNN) -- A dust storm and the onset of Martian winter have brought the Phoenix Mars Lander's mission to an end, NASA announced Monday.

Mars lander's mission over, NASA says

(CNN) -- A dust storm and the onset of Martian winter have brought the Phoenix Mars Lander's mission to an end, NASA announced Monday.

NASA loses contact with Mars lander and ends mission

The Phoenix Mars Lander, which made history by finding definitive proof of water on the Red Planet, has lost contact with Earth, effectively ending its more than five-month mission, NASA said on Monday. Skip related content

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