On Mars, NASA's robot rover Spirit is spinning its wheels on the soft shoulder of planetary exploration, up to its axles in silt millions of miles away from tense engineers who are struggling to extricate it by remote control. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the project deputy principal investigator.

References:

1. July 17, 2009 — For Mars Rover, Really Remote Roadside Assistance in the The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. and China are exploring new ways to bridge U.S. moon exploration plans with China. Includes comments from WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson.

References:

1. April 16, 2009 — U.S. Astronauts Might Hitch Rides on Chinese Spacecraft in the Space.com

Their 90-day warranty expired awhile ago, but NASA's twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still trundling along the Martian surface en route to their next destinations more than five years after landing on the red planet. But just how long they can keep going is anyone's guess. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

References:

1. March 30, 2009 — What lies in store for the Mars rovers? in the MSNBC.com

and 1 others.

WUSTL physics professor Clifford Will explains his research on an old mystery that will have implications for gravitational-wave astronomy. His article appeared in the Feb. 12 issue of Physical Review Letters.

References:

1. Feb. 23, 2009 — 40-year Mystery Revisited: Newtonian System Mimics 'Baldness' of Rotating Black Holes in the ScienceDaily.com

and 4 others.

A discovery of microscopic diamonds a few feet beneath the surface of North America reveals that a comet caused a cataclysm of fire, flood and devastation nearly 13,000 years ago, scientists said. Includes comments by WUSTL physicist Tyrone Daulton.

References:

1. Jan. 2, 2009 — Diamonds show comet struck North America, scientists say in the Los Angeles Times

and 1 others.

Data from the now-defunct NASA Phoenix Mars Lander is shedding light on the current water cycle on Mars, particularly how water moves between the surface and the atmosphere in the northern polar region. It has a very active weather environment. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the lead scientist for Phoenix's robotic arm, comments.

References:

1. Dec. 15, 2008 — Lander data sheds light on Mars polar water in the MSNBC.com

and 1 others.

NASA is still unable to say for sure whether its Phoenix lander has found a place where life could have existed on Mars. In addition to analyzing ice and soil samples for organic material, a process that is still under way, the Phoenix science team collected daily weather reports, information considered critical to learning if the planet could have supported water long enough for life to evolve. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who served as the lead scientist for the lander's robotic arm.

References:

1. Dec. 15, 2008 — Phoenix probe sheds new light on Mars weather in the Toronto Star (Canada)

and 21 others.

NASA declared an end to the Phoenix mission on Monday, some five months after the spacecraft became the first to land in Mars' arctic plains and taste water on another planet. "It's always a sad situation to not be able to communicate with it, but it lived beyond its warranty," said mission scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson.

References:

1. Nov. 10, 2008 — NASA says Phoenix Mars mission has ended in the Associated Press

and 112 others.

NASA engineers still hope to rouse a slumbering Phoenix lander and wring the last science out of the mission to Mars' North Pole. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor and mission scientist Ray Arvidson comments.

References:

1. Nov. 4, 2008 — NASA sends 'please wake up' call to Phoenix lander in the USA Today

In a race against time and the elements, engineers with NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission hope to extend the lander's survival by gradually shutting down some of its instruments and heaters. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the robotic arm's co-investigator, comments.

References:

1. Oct. 29, 2008 — NASA's Phoenix Mission Faces Survival Challenges in the ScienceDaily.com

and 15 others.

The Phoenix Lander successfully weather a regional dust storm that temporarily lowered its solar power. The team is back investigating the Red Planet's northern plains, and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, comments on the storm.

References:

1. Oct. 15, 2008 — NASA's Phoenix Lander Weathers Martian Dust Storm in the ScienceDaily.com

and 6 others.

The Phoenix mission's most dramatic achievement so far has been touching martian water ice. Mission investigators are now trying to decode the mysteries of alien dirt. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, mission robotic arm co-investigator, comments.

References:

1. Aug. 8, 2008 — Phoenix's Water May Be Gumming Up the Works in the Science Magazine

Mars Lander mission controllers have been living on its schedule, or rather the exact opposite of it. When the spacecraft is sleeping during the Martian night, the scientists are up analyzing data; when the spacecraft rises at the beginning of the day on Mars, they retire and let Phoenix do its work.Mars' day is 40 minutes longer than Earth's, and the start of the Martian day is always changing with respect to Earth time, as a result of their respective orbital motions. Reserachers essentially change three time zones every two days, as a result. Phoenix robotic arm co-investigator and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

References:

1. July 29, 2008 — Living on Mars time: Scientists suffer perpetual jet lag in the USA Today

and 1 others.

Phoenix Mars Lander is ready to analyze ice if instruments work properly. "The team is totally focused on getting a rasped-up icy sample to TEGA," says mission specialist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson. He says collecting the desired icy sample is like trying to sample the sidewalk in front of his house. "The soil is that hard," he says.

References:

1. July 18, 2008 — Tasting ice in the Science News Web edition

As NASA scientists prepare to give a faulty instrument on the Mars Lander another try, they've also been using an electric fork and an atomic force microscope to get more clues about the makeup of Martian soil. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, a co-investigator for the Mars Lander's robotic arm team, comments.

References:

1. July 14, 2008 — NASA: Robotic arm gives Martian soil a zap in the Computerworld (MA)

and 5 others.

NASA scientists are eagerly awaiting the first test results to come down from a wet chemistry lab on the Phoenix Mars Lander that yesterday analyzed its first bit of Martian soil. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson on the work of the lander's robotic arm.

References:

1. June 25, 2008 — NASA waiting on first chemical analysis of Martian soil in the Computerworld (MA)

and 1 others.

The Mars Phoenix Lander has found ice on the surface of the Red Planet raising hopes of finding evidence of life forms.
The proof came in a series of pictures sent back by Phoenix of a trench it dug with its robotic arm at the arctic circle of Mars, showing dice-sized chunks of white material that are seen to melt away over the course of several days.
WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments. He is the lead scientist for Phoenix's Robotic Arm.

References:

1. June 21, 2008 — NASA's Phoenix Lander finds ice on Mars in the Telegraph.co.uk (UK)

The scientists behind NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission now know that they had their first close-up look at Martian ice — because it has vanished from the picture. NASA scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

References:

1. June 19, 2008 — Ice on Mars! Now you see it, now you don't in the MSNBC.MSN.com

The Phoenix lander stopped digging soil near Mars' north pole as engineers on Earth worked to fix a glitch that caused the loss of a day's worth of photos. NASA scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

References:

1. June 18, 2008 — Mars lander loses day of work after data glitch in the Associated Press

and 56 others.

NASA announced that the first soil sample baked in the Phoenix Mars Lander shows no signs of water. NASA scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments on the robotic arm.

References:

1. June 16, 2008 — Phoenix Probes Martian Soil -- No Ice Yet but Lots of Resolution in the Scientific American online