Phoenix samples Martian water
Posted: Fri, Aug 1, 2008, 9:23 AM ET (1323 GMT)
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft has confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site in the planet's north polar regions, scientists announced Thursday. Phoenix put a sample of soil that contained ice into an instrument on the spacecraft that heated the sample and analyzed the composition of the vapors released in the process. That test confirmed that the ice was made of water. Water ice at or near the surface had been thought to exist for years, based on indirect observations by other spacecraft, but this is the first time the ice was directly sampled and tested. Getting the sample into the spacecraft's instrument proved difficult because the ice-rich sample stuck in the scoop, which surprised scientists. NASA also announced yesterday that it was extending the three-month prime mission of Phoenix, scheduled to end in late August, through the end of September. Phoenix has been on Mars since late May and continues to be in good health.
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft has confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site in the planet's north polar regions, scientists announced Thursday. Phoenix put a sample of soil that contained ice into an instrument on the spacecraft that heated the sample and analyzed the composition of the vapors released in the process. That test confirmed that the ice was made of water. Water ice at or near the surface had been thought to exist for years, based on indirect observations by other spacecraft, but this is the first time the ice was directly sampled and tested. Getting the sample into the spacecraft's instrument proved difficult because the ice-rich sample stuck in the scoop, which surprised scientists. NASA also announced yesterday that it was extending the three-month prime mission of Phoenix, scheduled to end in late August, through the end of September. Phoenix has been on Mars since late May and continues to be in good health.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, March 22
Isar Aerospace secures first active debris removal mission with Astroscale
Isar Aerospace — 5:50 pm ET (2150 GMT) Voyager Awarded Multi-Million-Dollar NASA Contract
Voyager Space — 5:44 pm ET (2144 GMT) What 'Project Hail Mary' gets right about microbes
Michigan State Univ. — 5:43 pm ET (2143 GMT) BlackSky wins seven-figure Assured extension contract with international customer
Black Sky — 5:42 pm ET (2142 GMT) Extremely Rare Second-Generation Star Discovered Inside Ancient Relic Dwarf Galaxy
National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory — 5:42 pm ET (2142 GMT) |
