PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency scientists say the Phoenix Mars Lander survived a weekend dust storm that temporarily lowered its solar power.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the dust storm decreased the power reaching the Phoenix's solar arrays. So on Martian days 135-136 of the mission (Oct. 11-12), Phoenix scientists and engineers curtailed many of the lander's science activities, such as collecting data from its onboard science laboratories.