New images of the Mars Lander, covered by wintertime carbon dioxide frost on Mars. When it's September on Earth, it's the heaviest time of frosts there, the JPL scientists believe. Something about this snip from the NASA press release makes me feel sad for the little fellow, out there in the cold all by his lonesome — he's had no one to talk to for an entire year:
The Phoenix Mars Lander ceased communications last November, after successfully completing its mission and returning unprecedented primary science phase and returning science data to Earth. During the first quarter of 2010, teams at JPL will listen to see if Phoenix is still able to communicate with Earth. Communication is not expected and is considered highly unlikely following the extended period of frost on the lander.
More images, and more about the images, here. Also, here's a higher resolution of the image above, compared to a shot taken during the previous earth-month.
Hey li'l Lander? If you can hear me, I dedicate this song to you tonight.
