There are more photos from Phoenix available at NASA's project site. This is a major technological triumph. When Phoenix reached the edge of the Martian atmosphere it was going 2500 miles an hour. USing an ablative shielding, a parachute drop, and finally, self-balancing circuits and retro-rockets, the device got through the atmosphere, ejected its heat shield, parachuted, ejected its parachute, retro-fired and straightened itself out to close with the surface of Mars' northen arctic region at zero mph and start sending pictures. It is absolutely phenomenal that we were able to do this.

Three cheers for the geeks of NASA, sez I. Well done indeed!!!!



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