NASA extends Mars lander mission
Updated on 19 September 2008
NASA is extending the Phoenix Mars mission again.
The three-legged spacecraft has been digging trenches near the Martian north pole since landing on May 25 to study whether the site could have been favourable for microbial life to emerge.
NASA spokesman Dwayne Brown said the space agency will invest about $6 million to keep the $422 million mission going.
It's the second and possibly last extension since the lander may not survive the upcoming Martian winter.
Phoenix is the first craft to touch Martian ice with its robotic arm. It will turn into a weather station in the extended phase.
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