  The Japanese Space Exploration Agency urlLink announced the abandonment of the Nozumi Mars probe this week, after five years of urlLink circuitous ramblings through the solar system to arrive at the red planet. The unfortunate probe, originally launched in 1998, met with a series of setbacks that delayed the approach to Mars. A urlLink solar flare mortally wounded the craft, short-circuiting critical systems that could not be repaired remotely.
Instead of orbiting red planet (or urlLink colliding during closest approach), the probe will be deliberately sent into deep space to avoid contaminating the Martian environment. It's been a string of setbacks for Japan lately, including the urlLink destruction of two spy satellites last month when their rocket launch went awry. 
