# Martian Phoenix

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martian-phoenix/306802>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 3, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martian-phoenix/306802 "2005-06-03T23:23:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martian-phoenix/306802/1 "2005-06-03T23:23:09Z")

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[It’s designed to do the job of the ill-fated Mars Polar Lander.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4606251.stm)

> [@](#):
>
> The US space agency (Nasa) has given the green light to Phoenix, its next mission to land on the surface of Mars.
> 
> The announcement allows project team members to proceed with preparations for launch of the spacecraft in 2007.
> 
> The lander will touch down in Mars’ northern polar region to explore its climate and geology and to look for signs of life, past or present.
> 
> Its robotic arm will dig down to the Martian ice layer and deliver samples to the lander’s deck for analysis.

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**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martian-phoenix/306802/2 "2005-06-04T02:12:14Z")

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yay!

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**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martian-phoenix/306802/3 "2005-06-04T04:13:24Z")

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Very cool.

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martian-phoenix/306802/4 "2005-06-04T04:36:12Z")

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Great. Knowing our luck, they’ll get all the bugs worked out, all the procedures cross-checked, and the lander will make a perfect, flawless decent…directly onto the parachute of the _last_ Polar Lander, meaning the entire landing site will be covered by a layer of scorched, tattered nylon. :smack:

(That, and the high-gain antenna won’t work right. 'Natch.)