NASA was able to relax (if only for a moment) and congratulate one another for the successful landing of the Mars Phoenix Lander. Scientists have been working on the new spacecraft for months now and have been preparing it for the ‘7 minutes of terror’ that many have referred to the landing process.
The lander promises to not only prepare for the ongoing efforts to send humans to Mars, but also will further the investigation of the possibility that life once existed on Mars. Before it could complete its mission, though, it had to land. After months of travel through the dark depths of space, it reached the fringe of Mars’ atmosphere and began a plunge. The seven minute entry has been a punishing one on past satellites — of the 11 objects which various nations have tried to land on Mars, only 5 survived.
NASA has been getting pressure from Congress to embark on a mission that is dangerous – but could offer up some much needed information. They will be sending a spacecraft closer to the sun that any has ever been able to go.
Astronomers were able to take more clearer and contrasted pictures of a black hole – which has opened new doors for discoveries to be made. For many years scientists have created their own theories over the years – but until now they have not been able to confirm any of them. One of the more important questions that they wanted an answer for was how black holes are able to discharge powerful jet particles at the speed of light.