European Lander Starts Descent to Mars

A European Space Agency experimental probe is expected to land Wednesday on Mars, as part of a mission aimed at exploring the red planet's atmosphere and searching for signs of life. Flight director Michel Denis confirmed the Schiaparelli Mars lander had separated from its mother ship as scheduled Sunday, to applause at mission control center in Darmstadt, Germany. As planned, the 600-kilogram probe separated from an unmanned craft called the Trace Gas Orbiter after a seven-month,...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - dimanche 16 octobre 2016