Scott
08-02-2008, 10:02 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/images/409419/1_68_mars_ice_cap.jpg
The mission of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has officially been extended for one month beyond its original mission, NASA announced today, as mission scientists also celebrated the news that a sample of ice was finally delivered to one of the lander's instruments.
"I'm very happy to announce that we've gotten an ice sample," said the University of Arizona's William Boynton, co-investigator for Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, which heats up samples and analyzes the vapors they give off to determine their composition.
The news that ice had fallen into TEGA came on Thursday morning, surprising scientists who had run into problems delivering a sample of the icy dirt because of its unexpected stickiness.
"There were champagne corks popping in the downlink room," Boynton said during a NASA briefing from the University of Arizona at Tucson, where mission control is currently based. "It's something we've been waiting a long time for."
Click here for more. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395585,00.html)
When can I start moving out. Well not in my lifetime. Boo.
The mission of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has officially been extended for one month beyond its original mission, NASA announced today, as mission scientists also celebrated the news that a sample of ice was finally delivered to one of the lander's instruments.
"I'm very happy to announce that we've gotten an ice sample," said the University of Arizona's William Boynton, co-investigator for Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, which heats up samples and analyzes the vapors they give off to determine their composition.
The news that ice had fallen into TEGA came on Thursday morning, surprising scientists who had run into problems delivering a sample of the icy dirt because of its unexpected stickiness.
"There were champagne corks popping in the downlink room," Boynton said during a NASA briefing from the University of Arizona at Tucson, where mission control is currently based. "It's something we've been waiting a long time for."
Click here for more. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395585,00.html)
When can I start moving out. Well not in my lifetime. Boo.