Looks like Mars Phoenix (or Mars Phoenix’s ghost) will have to wait another two years for a new companion–the Mars Science Laboratory, originally planned for a launch next year, has been delayed until 2011.
Following weeks of doubts about the future of the Mars Science Laboratory, the one-ton, nuclear powered, laser-shooting next generation of the waning Mars Phoenix, Lockheed Martin has shipped the vital “backshell” for the landing module, confirming that building is still under way. They also produced a video detailing the amazing landing procedure for the craft, during which a hovering “skycrane” lowers the rover to the ground before dutifully smashing itself into the surface a safe distance away.
