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Wind could hamper Mars experiments

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 27 (UPI) -- Wind on Mars could complicate the Phoenix Mars Lander's efforts to collect soil and ice samples, a University of Michigan scientist said.

Atmospheric scientist Nilton Renno said wind tunnel tests suggest winds could blow away some of the soil and ice collected on NASA's upcoming Mars mission -- but probably not enough to affect onboard laboratory experiments.

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"Basically, my conclusion is that if you do the delivery properly and plan it well, you can guarantee that a large fraction of the sample is going to fall inside the instrument intake," said Renno.

The Phoenix spacecraft, set for launch as early as next week, will land on the planet's northern arctic plains, analyzing soil and ice to see if it could support microbial life.

Winds of up to 11 mph are expected at the Phoenix landing site during the three-month mission, which is scheduled to begin with the lander's arrival May 25, 2008.

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