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Jun. 13, 2008
Mars Update
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| Researchers working with the Mars Phoenix lander to study the soil of Mars' polar region are making progress. On Wednesday, the team announced that it had been able to shake a sample of soil into a tiny onboard oven, which will then be sealed and heated to analyze the soil sample for ice content and the presence of various chemical compounds. The team also sent a soil sample into a microscope on the lander, and are expecting the first closeup pictures of the soil that will help them learn more about its makeup. In this segment, we'll talk with the head of the Phoenix mission and get an update on the research. |
Produced by Charles Bergquist, Director and Contributing Producer
Guests
-
Peter Smith
Principal Investigator
NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission
Senior Research Scientist, Lunar and Planetary
Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
FEATURED READING
Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction
by Annalee Newitz
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