US:Nasa is set to launch a robotic spacecraft next month that will dig into the soil near the northern pole of Mars to check for conditions favourable to microbial life now or in the planet's past.
The Phoenix Mars Lander is due to launch some time between August 3rd-24th from Florida for a landing on the frigid northern plains of Mars on May 25th, 2008, Nasa officials and mission scientists said yesterday.
The mission is due to last three months. Nasa is eyeing a landing site devoid of boulders at a latitude equivalent to northern Alaska. Scientists expect the lander to operate in temperatures as low as minus 148 Fahrenheit (minus 100 Celsius).
It is the latest mission by the US space agency to seek a deeper understanding of Earth's next-door neighbour in the solar system, including whether Mars has ever harboured life. Assuming it survives a risky descent and landing, the lander will wield a robotic arm 2.3m (7.7ft) long to dig up to 1m (3ft) deep to get at soil and frozen water thought to be just under the surface, scientists said. It will rely on a variety of equipment to assess whether this water may provide conditions that could support microbes.
"It's going to analyse the water," said Bobby Fogel, a Nasa scientist. "It's going to get its chemical composition, its physical properties, and try to tell us something about the history of water on Mars and potential habitability for microbes on Mars." - (Reuters)