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  Home arrow News arrow News from Space arrow dig, dug

 
dig, dug | Print |  E-mail
Written by staff writer   
Friday, 20 June 2008

After a rough start, the Phoenix Mars Lander is successfully analyzing dirt samples dug up from the surface of Mars, according to recent NASA releases.

The lander’s robot shovel has dug two trenches, nicknamed “Dodo” and “Goldilocks” (folowing an increasingly ridiculous NASA tradition of naming every single geological shape that they see), which, upon further digging, have merged into one trench called “Dodo-Goldilocks.

While water has not yet been detected in the soil, the on-board microscope has allowed scientists to scrutinize the Martian soil to a degree never before possible, revealing a mix of large, black, glassy particles and smaller reddish particles.

 
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