Ground Report

Nasa scientists have spotted two whirling dust devils towering a kilometre high at the spot where the phoenis Mars lander is due to land in a few weeks. However, according to them, the dust vortices pose no threat to the labding, but it could provide dramatic views from the probe when it alights on the flat, relatively barren landscape of Mars. In fact Nasa’s Mars reconnaissance Orbiter which is monitoring the site, has pinpointed the two dust devils at the centre of the landing ellipse, which measures nearly 20 by 100 k.m. seross.