24 hours ago NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars. It's the first successful Mars landing without airbags since Viking 2 in 1976.
So, what is there do be done on Mars? Well, there is plenty of information to be gathered. The complement of the Phoenix spacecraft and its scientific instruments are ideally suited to uncover clues to the geologic history and the biological potential of the planet. Phoenix will be the first mission to return data from either polar region providing an important contribution to the overall Mars science strategy "Follow the Water".
Follow the water?
Without a clear presence of surface water, it may seem like a strange name for a Mars exploration. How can we follow water, when it doesn't seem like there is any to be found?
Following the water really means looking for scientific evidence that water was present in the past or is present today, either below the surface or possibly in rare locations near small, hydrothermal vents like those we might find at Yellowstone. Our Mars missions have already sent back views of the Martian surface that seem to show evidence of dry riverbeds, flood plains, rare gullies on Martian cliffs and crater walls, and sedimentary deposits that suggest the presence of water at some point in the history of Mars. 
Illustration of the Phoenix landing
The Phoenix will contribute to our overall picture of Mars. It will help us to determine if life ever arouse on Mars, and to understand its climate and geology. In addition it could also contribute to the preparations for human exploration.
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Further reading and source:
NASA - Phoenix Mars Lander
Dagbladet (Norwegian)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Phoenix lands on Mars
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4 comments:
Nice spacecraft! :D But what is the science strategy "Follow the Water"?
This picture is fake! How can I trust you? Do you work for NASA? Do you?!
Hello.
Thank you for commmenting :)
First, let me point out that the picture is for illustrative purposes only, it's not like someone snapped this on Mars as the spacecraft landed, hence the caption (beneath the picture).
The science strategy "Follow the water" is nicely described here: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/follow/
Here is an excerpt from that site, which answers your question:
Without a clear presence of surface water, it may seem strange that the science strategy for Mars exploration is "to follow the water." How can we do that, when it doesn't seem like there is any to be found?
Following the water really means looking for scientific evidence that water was present in the past or is present today, either below the surface or possibly in rare locations near small, hydrothermal vents like those we might find at Yellowstone. Our Mars missions have already sent back views of the Martian surface that seem to show evidence of dry riverbeds, flood plains, rare gullies on Martian cliffs and crater walls, and sedimentary deposits that suggest the presence of water at some point in the history of Mars.
Thanks for commenting :)
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