Here we have an image of the Phoenix Lander and surrounding area taken on February 25, 2010.

The Phoenix Lander succumbed to the cold of the Martian winter. Keep in mind Phoenix was not intended to last the winter; yet mission managers are hoping beyond hope that it might have made it through.

The northern winter on Mars is subsiding and you just never know so the Mars Odyssey orbiter is listening for any tell tale signal the increasing sunlight may have warmed the lander enough to revive.  There has been two listening periods so far, one in January and one in February.  The geometry of the orbits allowed for 60 passes in four days in February.  So far – nothing.  The next set of passes is in April and it sounds like if nothing is heard at that point, then mission managers will call it over.

Out with the old and in with the new I suppose.

There is a new Mars rover being built, the Mars Science Laboratory, named Curiosity, being built.  The builders recently put the robotic arm through a series of tests to be sure not only that it functions but as they put it: “plays nice with the rest of the system”.  Apparently the tests went well and the arm will be affixed to the Curiosity later this year.

I would imagine the work load stress is just starting to be felt in earnest as the September 2011 launch date is approaching.  Sounds like a long time but I bet it’s not.

For a larger version of Curiosity’s arm, click here.   Sorry there isn’t one for the Phoenix picture, but here’s the press release.

Images:  NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona (Phoenix) and NASA/JPL-Caltech (Curiosity)