Posted by tourdemars to Interplanetary Internet at November 27, 2003 12:00 PM

Technical difficulties may prevent a Japanese probe carrying a Canadian instrument from reaching Mars. This is Canada's first chance to go to another planet but the spacecraft was damaged on its way to Mars. Japan's ill-fated Nozomi spacecraft left for Mars five years ago. The journey normally takes six months. Nozomi is the first of four probes expected to arrive at Mars over the next two months.