BBC says that Japanese Mars mission 'abandoned'. There's no hope left for the Japanese Mars probe Nozomi (translated means hope). The last attempt for JAXA (Japan's Nasa) to fire the engines and get the probe back on course failed. So instead they're using the thrusters to steer the craft away from Mars to avoid contamination from any microbes that may be on the craft since they didn't wash it's hands before it left Earth. Hopefully JAXA space agency can recover from this majorly depressing setback. They made so many accomplishments in the face of so many setbacks, they can be highly commended for even getting this far. You should really research the Nozomi story if you don't already know all about their plight (It'd make a great daytime drama). If anyone had hope for this craft, the Japanese scientists at JAXA did. Mars has already killed several space craft so that only about 1/3rd have made it and survived to start their missions. We still have the two Nasa crafts to arrive in January and the ESA Beagle craft to arrive around Christmas. One down three to go!

More on this story...

• Japan Abandons Troubled Mission to Mars
• Japanese Mars probe abandoned
• Japan abandons efforts for Mars space probe
• Japan's Mars mission set to crash

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