Getting your player ready...
LOS ANGELES — NASA will begin a three- day effort today to listen for signs of life from the Phoenix lander, presumed frozen to death near Mars’ north pole after spending five months digging into arctic soil and ice.
The plan calls for the orbiting Mars Odyssey spacecraft to make regular passes over the Phoenix landing site and listen for a beep. If the three- legged, solar-powered lander fails to phone home as expected, NASA will hail it again next month when the sun is higher on the horizon.
Phoenix landed in May 2008 and spent five months digging trenches and conducting science experiments.
