Pasadena - When the Mars Polar Lander failed to signal it had arrived on the Red Planet, NASA scientists hoped it was resting. Now they fear it is dead.
The space scientists were last night preparing what they called their last best chance to contact the missing lander - an operation set for 8 a.m. this morning Irish time.
Since losing contact with the $165 million lander on Friday as it entered the Martian atmosphere after a voyage of 470 million miles through space, scientists are readily conceding that the craft may well have been damaged or even destroyed as it landed in the south pole region of Mars.