Phoenix Lander Found Evidence That Mars May Have Supported Life

NASA has announced that the Phoenix Lander has ceased transmitting data back to Mission Control.  The lander had been tasked to search for water.  It found snow, ice and dust with a chemical structure similar to sea water, all of which supports the possibility of life in the Red Planet's past.  Scientists were pleased that the space craft transmitted two months longer than the three months they expected.  She took her name from two earlier failed missions, being the Phoenix that rose from their ashes.           Lander image - NASA 

 Space Tourist Returns to Earth

    An American tourist, Richard Garriott, has returned to Earth aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The price of a ticket for the younger Mr. Garriott was reported to be $30 million.  When his astronaut father went into space, the government paid him for the trip.

 Nasa

Atlantis Flight Delayed Until Next Year

A flight of the space shuttle Atlantis has been delayed until next year.  The ship was to have serviced the Hubble Space Telescope, but a problem with the telescope has arisen.  The Hubble is unable to store or transmit its data.  The Atlantis is now waiting while a new black box is fabricated to remedy the Hubble glitch.