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Phoenix Digs First Mars Soil Sample To Analyze
An anonymous reader writes "Nearly two weeks after its historic landing, the US Mars probe Phoenix has scooped up its first sample of Martian soil and begun analyzing it for water and organic compounds.
The test dig made Sunday by the Phoenix Mars Lander's 8-foot-long robotic arm uncovered bits of bright specks in the soil believed to be ice or salt.
Mission controllers will send instructions to the lander to dump the sample into one of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) ovens. The TEGA ovens, which are about an inch long and the diameter of a pencil lead, will heat up the soil samples and use a mass spectrometer to detect the gases that come off the samples, which will shed light on some of the materials in the soil, specifically those formed by the process of liquid water."
I first read that as Phoenix really getting a kick out of the sample. Man I'm old.
'cause then an American manned mission to Mars would be guaranteed!
/ducks.
"I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
There's a good chance that in your lifetime the current climate will become like Mars'.
Last I checked liquid water is called ice
perhaps you should check again.
"Last I checked liquid water is called ice"
Close! Liquid water is called "water."
Last I checked liquid water is called ice
:-)
Maybe you should check again
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/214812main_EarthMoon-browse.jpg
But the question is, where are the stars?
Just to be awkward, I submit that ice is a verb and a noun, since one can ice a cake, things ice over and there is that song that rather confusingly suggests you should ice ice. Baby.
Could you post this over on the "Google makes you stupid" thread? This is a perfect example of data without analysis.