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PHOENIX鈥橲 wings have been catastrophically clipped. The Mars lander has lost its solar panels, leading NASA to declare it officially dead.
In recent weeks, NASA has been trying to revive the lander after losing contact in November 2008 as the Martian winter approached. The likelihood of success was slim.
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Now images taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show Phoenix is casting a different shadow to when it was last active. Accumulated dust can explain this in part, but mission scientists say the main reason is that the solar arrays that powered the lander have been broken off or bent, rendering Phoenix useless.
鈥淪olar arrays that powered the Mars lander have been broken or bent, rendering Phoenix useless鈥�
Like wings, the panels extended out from either side of the lander. Large amounts of carbon dioxide ice likely built up on them during the winter, causing the damage.
Despite 61 fly-bys last week, the orbiter failed to hear a radio transmission from Phoenix.