Two miniature 2kg science probes designed to penetrate the Martian surface after flying piggyback on the Mars Surveyor 98 Lander mission, in December 1999, have been tested successfully. Test articles of the probes - containing a drill and batteries, which will fly the second New Millennium programme mission to test advanced technologies for future science missions - were shot into the ground at 644km/h, surviving a maximum 45,000g impact. The probes will analyse the water content of the planet's sub-surface.
Source: Flight International