Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Snow falling on Mars

The Mars Phoenix Lander has detected snow falling in the atmosphere above it. The precipitation melts before it hits the ground, but that may not be true everywhere on the planet.
Scientists are keeping the MPL very busy these days, trying to cram in as much sampling, assaying, and other work as possible before the short days coming in November and the long polar night in December rob the craft's solar panels and freeze the instruments in an ordeal the lander is not expected to survive.

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