PASADENA, Calif., March 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says its Phoenix Mars Lander showed no sign during February that it has revived itself after the northern Mars winter season.
NASA said its Mars Odyssey Orbiter will make its next listening check of the lander early next month.
"The solar-powered Phoenix lander operated for two months longer than its planned three-month mission in the Martian arctic in 2008," scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said, noting the spacecraft was not designed to withstand winter conditions. "However, in case the return of abundant springtime sunlight to the site does revive Phoenix, Odyssey is conducting three periods of listening for a transmission that Phoenix is programmed to send if it is able."
The second listening period, consisting of 60 overflights of the Phoenix site, occurred Feb. 22-26, but produced the same result as the first listening period in January: nothing.
The third listening period is scheduled April 5-9.
