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PASADENA, Calif (Reuters) - A small science probe blazed through the salmon-coloured skies of Mars on Sunday, touching down on a frozen desert at the planet's north pole to search for water and assess conditions for sustaining life, NASA officials said.
The spacecraft, known as Phoenix, landed at 12:53 a.m. British time Monday after a do-or-die plunge through the planet's thin atmosphere. It marked the first time that a spacecraft had successfully landed at one of the planet's polar regions.
Pulled by Mars' gravity, Phoenix was tearing along at 20,400 kph before it entered the atmosphere, which slowed the craft so it could pop out a parachute and fire thruster rockets to gently float to the ground.
"It's down, baby, it's down!," yelled a NASA flight controller, looking at signals from Mars showing that Phoenix had landed.
Spacecraft lands at Mars north pole
Given the Mars landing success rate, I can't blame you for yelling, baby!
The spacecraft, known as Phoenix, landed at 12:53 a.m. British time Monday after a do-or-die plunge through the planet's thin atmosphere. It marked the first time that a spacecraft had successfully landed at one of the planet's polar regions.
Pulled by Mars' gravity, Phoenix was tearing along at 20,400 kph before it entered the atmosphere, which slowed the craft so it could pop out a parachute and fire thruster rockets to gently float to the ground.
"It's down, baby, it's down!," yelled a NASA flight controller, looking at signals from Mars showing that Phoenix had landed.
Spacecraft lands at Mars north pole
Given the Mars landing success rate, I can't blame you for yelling, baby!