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Mars 1, Japan 0

Posted by michael on from the explosive-space-modulator dept.

davecl writes "Looks like Mars Space Defence may have claimed another satellite. BBC News Online is reporting that the Japanese probe Nozomi, which has already had plenty of troubles, has been knocked out by a solar flare. The scientists in charge say they expect the on board computer to 'repair itself', so it may live to fight another day. A salutary warning for those planning manned missions to Mars."

1 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What Really Happened? by nucal · · Score: 3, Informative
    From Space.com: Mars has been a major target of exploration since the beginning of the space age. It also has been an elusive target, as demonstrated once again by Mars Climate Orbiter's failure in September. Overall, about two in three missions to the red planet have failed.

    ...

    Greeley notes that "the track record is pretty good" in exploring Venus, but disputes any notion that therefore Mars is an unusually difficult destination. Venus, he notes, is an extremely harsh environment, especially for landers. The higher failure rate of Mars missions, he thinks, is just the luck of the draw.

    or maybe it was Marvin.