Orbiter gears up for first soil test

After struggling for five days, the Phoenix Mars Lander has successfully shaken Martian soil into its oven so it can begin testing it for elements that could support life.

NASA technicians didn't just have one big event this week, though. Engineers and programmers today beamed up code that will instruct the Mars Lander's robotic arm to deposit a different soil sample onto a microscope that is slated to send back pictures Thursday morning, according to Bill Boynton, a co-investigator on the Mars mission.