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Weather delays Mars probe
01/08/2007 08:10 - (SA)
Washington - Adverse weather on Tuesday at Cape Canaveral, Florida, delayed by 24 hours the launch of Mars probe "Phoenix" on its novel mission to dig in Martian soil for water and signs of life, Nasa said.
Weather conditions prevented fuelling of the two-stage Delta II rocket atop which Phoenix was scheduled to blast off on Friday, the US space agency said in a statement.
The launch will now take place on Saturday with a first attempt at 09:36 GMT, and a second attempt, should it be needed, at 10:02 GMT.
The space probe's full launch window for its 680 million kilometre mission to Mars extends until August 24.
Phoenix is programmed for a parachute and engine assisted landing on Mars' arctic region in May or June 2008, depending on its launch date.
Unlike Nasa rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which have been rolling under solar power across the Martian landscape for the past three years, Phoenix will stay put in one place on the Martian ground.
Equipped with seven scientific instruments, the probe will dig through Martian soil and permafrost for the first time in history to analyse ice and water content and seek any sign of past or present life on the red planet.
It will work under extreme weather conditions with temperatures ranging from minus 73 degrees Celsius to minus 33 C.
The Phoenix space programme is costing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration some $420m from launch to landing.
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