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."

Comments

Why a lander?

[kidcharles]

Given how successful the mobile rovers have been, does anyone know about the logic of going with a stationary lander this time around?

Re:I wonder what kind of flyer miles I'll get?

[physman_wiu]

"We have the technology to get there" Erm... No. We do indeed have the technology. We know what we need to do and have the skills to be able to get us up and running. But yes, a lot of homework needs to be done, even a little research (like on how to properly shield astronauts from long term radiation effects.) I didn't mean to imply that we didn't. If a billions were pumped into the space program things would take off surprisingly fast. Say within a few years at least.