01/10/10 — The Phoenix Mars lander is not expected to have survived he harsh Martian winter, but NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter will attempt to lock onto Phoenix’s signal and gain information about the lander’s status, and if successful, to determine what capabilities Phoenix retains. Beginning Jan. 18, NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter will listen for possible, though improbable, radio transmissions from the Phoenix Mars Lander, which completed five months of studying an arctic Martian site in November 2008. The solar-powered lander operated two months longer than its three-month prime mission during summer on northern Mars before the seasonal ebb of sunshine ended its…