A communications link from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, knocked out by a cosmic ray or some other high-energy particle, is later restored. ‘Phoenix is healthy; everything is fine,’ an official at JPL says.
The latest pictures show a landscape apparently shaped by the movement of ice just below the planet’s surface. That’s a good early sign for the mission in its quest to ‘follow the water.’
After sending back its first photos, the probe appears well positioned for its task, digging for indicators of life on the Red Planet, jubilant scientists at JPL say.
