It was inevitable. Engineers with Lockheed Martin in Colorado always knew the spacecraft they helped send to Mars two years ago would die. And it has. This week, the Phoenix Mars lander essentially froze to death during the planet's brutal winter – but not before it made some major scientific discoveries. The lander confirmed the presence of ice under the the Martian surface – and found hints that water might have flowed there. That raises the possibility that the planet could have sustained life. Back in 2008, Ryan Warner spoke to Lockheed's Tim Gasparrini shortly after Phoenix landed on Mars... and discussed the inevitable.
