Posted by tourdemars to Interplanetary Internet at November 19, 2003 12:00 PM

Japanese space agency officials insist they have not yet lost Hope. But the fate of the country’s first interplanetary explorer - a Mars probe dubbed Nozomi, which means hope - is growing doubtful. After a five-year journey, Nozomi is due to reach Mars on December 14 and mission managers say it is still very much alive.